Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Education is expected to issue a waiver that allows certain adult prisoners to qualify for Pell Grants, which was banned by Congress in 1994.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that the waiver likely will come under the experimental sites program and be announced this summer, giving prisoners the ability to take college courses from behind bars.
- While some opposition to spending more government money on prisoners is guaranteed, advocates support the concept for its proven track record at shrinking recidivism rates, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
As Inside Higher Ed reports, the Obama administration clarified the outlines of the 1994 prohibition last December, making detainees in juvenile detention centers eligible for Pell Grants. Because that didn’t get much opposition, many expect the Obama administration to take this next step with limited Pell Grants for adult prisoners and then perhaps push for Congress to lift the ban entirely. Giving prisoners access to degree programs in jail allows them to spend their time productively and lay a foundation for a life plan once their sentence is up. Pell Grants are reserved for the country’s lowest income college-goers.