The benefits of educating the incarcerated have massive economic and social benefits. Not only does postsecondary education in prisons lead to lower reincarceration rates (which saves millions on reincarceration costs) it also leads to greater racial equity. The racial makeup of prisons is proportionally related to the lower income minority neighborhoods. Prisoners returning home from incarceration with degrees often inspire and encourage other family members or friends to do likewise. The issue however is that many of these programs are not receiving the funding needed. That was until 2020 when the Pell program reopened up to incarcerated students. Now, many States are opening the door to prison education such as Michigan and D.C. Other States, however, are continuing to make it harder for incarcerated students to access grant and aid such as Pennsylvania instituting its “Satisfactory Character” requirement for said aid.

https://nowcomment.com/documents/307954