For the over 1.5 million individuals currently incarcerated in federal or state prisons, education can be a driving force in changing the trajectory of their lives and propelling them towards successful reentry. At least 95% of all state prisoners will be released from prison at one point, most returning home with much of life to live. The question for many is not whether they will they return, but how they will return. As demonstrated by the Pell Pilot Program, expanding access to postsecondary education and training will better equip incarcerated individuals to find jobs, improve their families’ futures and contribute to society upon release. Lifting the ban would also help to create safer prisons and communities, as prison education programs are shown to reduce prison violence and recidivism. A 2013 RAND study found that incarcerated individuals who participate in education programs are 43% less likely to recidivate and 21% more likely to gain employment upon release.

Furthermore, reducing recidivism has financial benefits—lifting the ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals could reduce states’ incarceration costs by a combined $365.8 million annually. Additionally, every dollar invested in correctional education is estimated to save nearly $5 in reincarceration costs over three years.

Despite common misconceptions, the benefits of education are not limited to those incarcerated individuals who will be released. Education is also proven to improve the lives of those prisoners who won't reenter society by creating safer prison environments, equipping incarcerated men and women to become leaders in prison, and allowing incarcerated parents and grandparents to become role models for their children.

Public Justice Perspective

According to CPJ’s Guidelines for Government, the government is called to foster restorative justice and affirm the inherent dignity of all prisoners. Providing educational opportunities to prisoners accomplishes both of these things. One such way in which the government can uniquely perform such tasks is by lifting the ban on Pell grants. However, universities and other civil society organizations have a role to play in providing incarcerated individuals with education opportunities, sometimes in partnership with the government. Leading the field in this work are a number of institutions part of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).

Over a dozen CCCU institutions are currently working in collaboration with state and local correctional facilities to offer a path for redemption, transformation and reconciliation within prison walls. While some of CCCU’s institutions are Second Chance Pell recipient schools, others have focused on spearheading new education programs in prisons. Lipscomb University started the nation’s first seminary in a women’s prison. Baylor University has welcomed the nation’s top business executives and entrepreneurs into prisons to train and equip incarcerated men, while North Park University welcomed Grammy nominated artist Lauren Daigle to perform with and for incarcerated men. Calvin College currently offers a bachelor’s degree in ministry leadership to incarcerated individuals, including those with life sentences.

While the unique approaches of these programs may vary, all of the institutions provide both educational resources and an invitation for transformation to incarcerated men and women. In the words of the Calvin Prison Initiative's director, Todd Cioffi, “[students] are starting to believe that their lives can be more than some of the worst things that they’ve ever done.” As effective as these institutions have been, lifting the ban on Pell grants would enable them to be even more effective in their work by allowing them to expand their programming, while extending the opportunity for other institutions to offer prison education programs.