Reinstate Pell Grant eligibility for people pursuing postsecondary education while in prison.

We should immediately reinstate federal Pell Grant eligibility for all people in prisons. Postsecondary educational opportunities in prisons decreased precipitously after the 1994 Crime Bill ended Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students. Providing more access to postsecondary education in prison is a sound investment in our future, as it improves safety, sparks opportunity, and increases racial equity.

Explore our postsecondary education in prison related resources below.

Publication

Investing in Futures

Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison

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Publication

Second Chance Pell: A Snapshot of the First Three Years

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Video Playlist

Second Chance Pell Convening

Second Chance Pell Convening event in Washington, DC, July 19, 2016

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Hear from business leaders how postsecondary education in prison benefits people, communities, and businesses.

Incarcerated people who participate in postsecondary education programs are

48%

less likely to recidivate than those who do not.^[]Robert Bozick, Jennifer L. Steele, Lois M. Davis, and Susan Turner, “Does Providing Inmates with Education Improve Post-Release Outcomes? A Meta-Analysis of Correctional Education Programs in the United States,” Journal of Experimental Criminology 14, no. 3 (2018), 389-428.
Lifting the ban on Pell grants would allow the combined wages earned by all formerly incarcerated people to increase by
~ $45.3M
during the first year of release.^[]Patrick Oakford, Cara Brumfield, Casey Goldvale, Laura Tatum, Margaret diZerega, and Fred Patrick. Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison. New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2019.
In data collected between 2012 and 2014,

64%

of people (ages 18-74) incarcerated in a federal and state prison has at most a high school diploma or equivalent.^[]Patrick Oakford, Cara Brumfield, Casey Goldvale, Laura Tatum, Margaret diZerega, and Fred Patrick. Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison. New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2019.

From the Blog

Postsecondary Education in Prison is a Racial Equity Strategy

Consider who is most impacted by mass incarceration: Black people make up 13 percent of the country’s population, but more than one-third of people in prison. Latinx people constitute 18.5 percent of the country’s population, but account for 23.4 percent of people in prison. Currently, one in three Black men without a high school diploma or GED wil ...

News

Margaret diZerega
George Chochos

July 14, 2020

News

Voters in Battleground States Favor Restoring Pell Grants for People in Prison

These battleground state voters seem to understand that reinstating Pell eligibility for the greatest number of people in prison is a sound investment in our future. Plenty of other influential voices agree. Bipartisan momentum to get rid of the Pell ban for people in prison has been growing steadily: Since early 2019, the Association of State Cor ...

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Margaret diZerega

September 29, 2020

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New Data: Second Chance Pell Continues to Open Doors for More Students

This means that students participating in Second Chance Pell programs are learning the skills necessary to play all types of roles in their communities when they return home. For example, Milwaukee Area Technical College is offering career-specific training in areas like welding. Glenville State College in West Virginia offers an array of programs, ...

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