Today’s prison system uses a punitive justice system, which means that its goal is to punish people who are convicted of committing a crime. The prison system’s goal is not to rehabilitate individuals who are incarcerated. When individuals are incarcerated, they do not receive the necessary help to build the tools needed for them to survive outside of prison. The United States spends about $182 billion annually on the prison system. The budget for prisons could be decreased by implementing higher education programs in prisons. The prison population disproportionately consists of individuals from low-income segregated communities. Higher education programs in prison are a great way to help these individuals who are already put at a disadvantage by structural forces of racism, inequality, ableism, and cisheteropatriarchy.
Postsecondary programs in prisons are more common today but that was not the case until 2016. In 1992, the Higher Education Act was implemented, which prohibited people who are serving life or are on death row from receiving Pell grants. Two years later, in 1994, this restriction was expanded to all incarcerated individuals with the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. These acts decreased the number of programs to less than ten across the nation.
Education should be available to everyone. People who are incarcerated should not be an exception. Luckily, the Obama administration created the Second Chance Pell program, through which 67 colleges provided courses to 12,000 individuals. At the end of 2020, the United States government overturned the laws that prevent incarcerated individuals from receiving federal financial aid. More people will be able to take courses and earn degrees in prison.
One of the main benefits of postsecondary programs in prisons is lower recidivism rates. This means that people are less likely to commit crimes and return to prison. You would think that the prisons would be happy about this and increase the amount of programs. However, that would close a lot of prisons. Crime will not disappear after increasing postsecondary programs but less people will return to prison which in turn decreases the amount of prisons needed. According to one report by the Vera Institute of Justice, the budget for state prisons would be cut by as much as 365.8 million annually. This would be a big decrease in the current budget.
Along with lowering the recidivism rate, postsecondary programs in prison help improve the lives of incarcerated individuals after they are released. Formerly incarcerated individuals with college experiences are more likely to find stable housing and well-paying jobs. These improve not only the lives of the people who participate but also their families and communities. It is not only hard on the people who are in prison, but also the people who are left behind when their loved ones are put behind bars. After participating in the postsecondary program, returning citizens are able to create better relationships and feel a lot better about themselves when they leave prison.
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