When prisoners are given a college level education, they become hopeful for their futures because they now have a better sense of self worth and the opportunity to get a job making it an easier transition back into society when they are released. This is the first reason I support prison education. Loretta Taylor, in her article "Prison Education Is A Smart Investment, Reduces Crime" says, “Education is a cost-effective intervention that puts prisoners on a different path that generates hope and employability.” College courses create within a prisoner the ability to see that they were created for so much more than the life of crime they have been living. They begin to see themselves as human beings capable of wonderful things, not criminals …show more content…
To begin with, though several claim that it will be cost effective for prisoners to receive a college level education, it is still not going to be easy on the public’s wallets. In order to get the funding needed for college accredited programs in prisons, taxes will have to be raised. In the article, “Pros, Cons of College Inmate Program Weighed”, State Senator Kathleen Marchione is quoted, saying “College is so expensive, and I think it sends the wrong message to people who follow the law and play by the rules.” Giving a free education to inmates over law abiding citizens is unfair. Some people say that Pell grants would pay for prison education, but some would argue that giving Pell grants to prisoners means that grants will be taken away from law-abiding citizens in need. In the article “Should Prisoners Have Access To A College Education?”, Fred Patrick, Director for the Center on Sentencing and Corrections at the Vera Institute, is correct in saying, “The fallacy of that argument is the notion that incarcerated Johnny is depriving the non-incarcerated Johnny from getting a Pell grant. The fact is that Pell grants are entitlement based. If you are low-income and eligible, you receive it. There's never been a year in which an eligible person was denied it." But one thing that Patrick fails to mention is that Pell Grants are funded through the government with our tax dollars. This means that we are indirectly having to pay for the inmates education, even when it is already a struggle for most law-abiding citizens to go to college who, instead, have to take out thousands of dollars worth in loans. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is quoted in the article “"Do The Crime, Get A Degree. Should Prisons Offer College Courses To Convicted Felons?", saying, “Some convicts have figured out that Pell grants are a great scam,” Hutchison said at the time, “‘Rob a store, go to jail,
We imprison seven-hundred-fifty prisoners per one hundred-thousand citizens, almost five times the earth average. Around one in every thirty-one grown-ups in the United States is in the penitentiary, in prison or on supervised release. District, state, and national disbursements on corrections expenses total to around seventy billion dollars per year and has raised to forty percent more over the past twenty years. http://www.newsweek.com/ The current corrections specialists have started to support that notion. Even though we comprehend that criminals must take accountability for their actions, we also realize that we can no longer just turn out heads at their disappointments. The individuals that derive out of our penitentiaries, prisons, municipal programs and out from beneath our direction are our creation, and we have to take some responsibility. Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) Hankoff, Leon D. "Current trends in correctional education: theory and practice." International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology Apr. 1985: 91-93. Criminal Justice Collection. Web. 12 June 2016.
The idea of freedom and equal opportunity that America was built on has sadly been lost and replaced with a system of quality education only being accessible by the wealthy. In-state college tuition should be free for all students meeting admission requirements, allowing students from the full spectrum of economic backgrounds to have the same opportunity to receive the same education. The incidence of poverty in the U.S. is directly linked to educational level. When a college degree is earned, income levels rise (College Board). The best use of federal government anti-poverty funds is not another welfare or assistance program; it is to make college education affordable for everyone.
...ecause they had to pay for their education and receive a high SAT score and other qualifications to be accepted at a college, I think it is important not to let these lives slip away. It would not be of any use to lock them up for many years and then release them into the world with nothing on their hands. It is more expensive for a state to pay for a second imprisonment than to pay for a college education and everyone should have a right to learn. This right is infringed by the college system in itself as it does not give everyone a chance to earn a degree, not by Prison Education. And secondly, the “pains of imprisonment” are hard enough and I think any inmate would trade places with us. Education does not reduce this pain; it should be a matter of course to help these people have a chance at a successful life. It should after all be a rehabilitative punishment.
That explains the positive correlation between the amount of education a person receives while in prison and the chance they have of securing a fulltime job following their release. A study published by a prison in Minnesota supports this idea by showing that prisoners who had obtained a secondary degree while in prison increased their chances of securing a job within two years of being released by 59%. These odds were increased even further for younger offenders, which shows that educational programs in prisons are even more pertinent for the younger
In conclusion,some people want to change their life around, it can change people when they come out of prison, and it will increase that amount of crimes. is very important to, should prison inmates be able to take college courses. Many people in the world think that this is a good idea because it could change so much in this world. A famous author, Mark Twain, who wrote, The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain, once stated ,”Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” It is amazing that they have thought about having a classes in prison for
The phrase “Education is the key to success” is a common one. Then why, some may ask, is education not mandatory in prisons? All humans, criminals or not, should be granted equal opportunities to indulge in learning and further their knowledge. Getting an education is a necessary factor in receiving a college degree, obtaining a job and making a living, yet prisoners aren’t being schooled. Being taught certain lessons like how to properly read, write an essay, solve a math problem or balance a chemical equation, inmates can find something they are passionate about, which can give them reasons to continually power through incarceration. Furthermore, being able to write essays and journal entries can act as a stress reliever and be therapeutic.
Prisons require an abundance of money to be run properly and effectively. By using taxes to pay for prisons the American public pays to support the lives of inmates and all of their needs. Prisoners require food, drink, beds, supplies for doing other activities and all of the overlooked things in normal life that go along with these necessities. Inmates have special needs like all of us do. Inmates reguire medical care, for example some have AIDS or other diseases that require medicine which cumulate large bills over time.(Luzadder) Imagine the money amassed over a life sentence of paying for medicine. The American public pays for all of these expenses added to the actual building of the prison f...
Not everyone loves the ideas of alternatives to prison because alternatives to prison seem to work only when there is a limited number of cases that adhere to the sentence, However, when places like California is spending more money on their prison systems than on actual education, alternatives to prison seem to be the best choice (David, 2006).
With prisons growing at the rate they are now, there must be more funding. 1 out of every 131 U.S citizens is incarcerated. The rest of the citizens have to pay for this person to have a place to sleep, eat, and exercise out of their taxes. These taxes can and should be used for more important issues. I...
Vacca, James S. “Educated Prisoners Are Less Likely to Return to Prison.” Journal of Correctional Education 55.4 (December 2004): 297-305. ProQuest. Web. 2. Nov 2013.
She shows little to no sympathy for this prisoners, focusing on the reasons why these inmates are inmates. She believes prison is a place for punishment, not rehabilitation. With rather strong feelings towards these prisoners, she goes on to compare these inmates’ free education to college students who have to pay for their education. She feels that it’s unfair that a criminal can get a free education while a hard working citizen with a clean slate has to pay thousands of dollars to get their education. I plan on using this for my research in the opposing side of my argument as she gives many reasons as to why inmate education isn’t
While offering an inmate for a second chance to improve while they are incarcerated. Statistics indicate that when prisoners are provided an education, they gain higher self-esteem and recidivism rates drop dramatically. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it states that there is an "inverse relationship between recidivism rates and education". The reason as to why there a inverse relationship between one another is because the higher the level of education a prisoner has received ,the less likely he or she is to return to prison. For instance, studies indicate that approximately between 50 to 65 percent of inmates who has receive higher education experience a better rate of employment than those who don 't participate in education programs. The cost-benefit of reducing recidivism will begin to be realized immediately. If we consider the additional benefit of these individuals obtaining work, paying taxes, and contributing to the general economy, and the prevention of costs to victims of crime and the criminal justice system, the benefits are significantly greater". In addition, while individuals are in prison receiving an higher education, it would put towards these cause because they would have job to repay for the debt they have
The most recent example of this would be Tyrone Howard who is mentioned above. He has been arrested many times yet still got out and continued to commit crimes even after going through the diversion programs for drug charges. I believe that Jonsson is mistaken because he overlooks the factors that come out of prison education. Although many think prison education is being pushed, prisons and prison guards do not advocate the idea of educating the prisoners. Since the requirement to become a prison guard is only a high school diploma, the guards become envious of the criminals who are getting higher education which could cause tension and mistreatment. Also, educating prisoners should decrease the recidivism rate which would bring the government to give less money to prisons because there are less prisoners to care for. Education in prison is not being pushed because it is harmful to the prison system no matter how the government decides to do
“Doing projects really gives people self-confidence. Nothing is better than taking the pie out of the oven. What it does for you personally, and for your family 's idea of you, is something you can 't buy." - Martha Stewart. Rehabilitated prisoners programs, for example, in the prisons are one of the most important programs in prison to address the causes of criminality and restore criminal’s self-confidence. Therefore, many governments are still taking advantage of their prisoners while they are in prison. However, some people believe that prison programs ' can improve and develop the criminals to be more professionals in their crimes. In addition, rehabilitated programs help inmates in the character building, ethical behavior, and develop
This paper explores the benefits provided by educational programs in jails and prisons. Included are the reasons inmates need education in order to successfully reenter society once they are released and use the knowledge and skills they have learned to obtain a job in order to support themselves and their families. Also examined in the paper are the financial benefits of incorporating educational programs instead of cutting them, as well as the effect these programs play on the recidivism rate. Lastly is a focus on understanding the importance of education and job training, even though the recipients are criminals.