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With the NDAA veto override on 1/1, it's official: Pell Grant eligibility has been restored for incarcerated students. Congress has finally corrected the mistake it made with the Pell ban in the 1994 Crime Bill. This change invests in people, communities, and public safety. /1
A @RANDCorporation study found that people who participated in educational programming in prison have “43 percent lower odds of recidivating than those who did not.” https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR266.html /2
This @verainstitute and @GtownLawPovCntr study found that lifting the ban could increase formerly incarcerated workers' earnings $45 million in the first year after release, while reducing state prison spending by $365.8 million/year. https://www.vera.org/publications/investing-in-futures-education-in-prison /3
There is tremendous hunger for education inside our nation's prisons. @usedgov launched a "Second Chance Pell" pilot program in 2016. It helped 17,000 people enroll in higher ed classes. /4
Given that people of color and the poor are disproportionately policed and imprisoned, restoring Pell Grant eligibility is also a matter of racial equity and closing the wage gap. It is common-sense, evidence-based policy that promotes equal opportunity. /5
This got done due to the leadership of @BobbyScott @brianschatz @SenatorDurbin @SenMikeLee @RepSusanDavis @RepAdams @RepMaxineWaters @RepFrenchHill @BarbaraBoxer and many others on this issue. Thank you. /end
