An announcement from Education Secretary Arne Duncan that his agency “would conduct a limited pilot program to give prisoners access to the Pell grants,” generated great excitement from educators, criminal justice reform advocates and both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C. Duncan stated that people should “say tuned” for more information.
PBS News Hour reports:
Advocates for expanding federal student aid to prisoners point to societal benefits. A Rand study found that inmates who took part in education programs behind bars had 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison than inmates who had not. Supporters say the correctional education programs are cost-effective compared with the costs of re-incarceration. Read more.
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