THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IS TRYING OUT A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WOULD GIVE INMATES
ACCESS TO PROGRAMS.
TELEGRAMS ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP PEOPLE PAY
FOR COLLEGE, AND IT IS LIMITED TO A VERY SMALL AMOUNT,
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE HIGH COSTS OF COLLEGE.
WITH
THESE GRANTS, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY IT BACK, AND IT DOES HELP TO
MAKE COLLEGE MORE AFFORDABLE.
EVEN THOUGH THE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT HAS NOT BEEN SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT TYPES OF INMATES OR
PROGRAMS WOULD QUALIFY FOR THIS, IT DOES SEEM A GOOD IDEA,
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD LOWER THE - RATES.
CONGRESS PASSED LEGISLATION IN
1994 BANNING INMATES FROM THIS
PROGRAM.
INMATES ARE NOT
SUPPOSED TO GET MONEY FROM COLLEGE, BUT THERE IS A LOOPHOLE
THAT SAYS THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM, SO WE WILL SEE IF THIS
WORKS.
AT FIRST I HAD A KNEE-JERK REACTION TO THIS,
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE A LOT OF LAW-ABIDING STUDENTS OUT
THERE DEALING WITH STUDENT DEBT,
AND I FEEL LIKE THEY DESERVE THE MONEY.
THIS ONLY GOES TO LOW
INCOME PEOPLE.
THE MAXIMUM
AWARD FOR THE 2015 ñ 2016 YEAR IS ABOUT $7500.
WE DO NOT DO
ENOUGH TO REHABILITATE PEOPLE.
IF THIS HELPS WITH SOME RECIDIVISM, THEN I'M WITH IT.
BUT ON THE SURFACE IT SOMEBODY SHADY DEAL FOR REGULAR STUDENTS.
IF WE HAD ANYWHERE NEAR A JUST SYSTEM, THEN THIS WOULD BE
AN OPEN QUESTION.
UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM IT'S A
NO-BRAINER.
DEFINITELY GIVE IT TO THEM.
HALF THE PEOPLE IN
PRISON BECAUSE OF A DRUG OFFENSE.
THIS PROHIBITION IS
INSANE, THEY SHOULD NEVER BE IN PRISON IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WE'RE IMPRISONING A WHOLE GENERATION OF PEOPLE THAT
HAPPENED TO BE BORN IN THE WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD, WHERE THE MAIN
INDUSTRY IS IN SELLING DRUGS.
WHERE THERE IS NO OTHER
OPPORTUNITY, WHERE WE'VE DRAINED THEIR SCHOOLS OF ALL THE MONEY
THERE IS, THEY CAN'T EVEN TAKE THE TEXTBOOKS HOME.
NOBODY IS
THERE TO TELL THEM THAT THEY CAN GET AN EDUCATION AND DO OTHER
THINGS, AND THEN WE BLAME THEM FOR THE INDUSTRY TO BE CREATED
AND PUT THEM IN PRISON.
IF YOU WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE IN PRISON
OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY LEARN, GO TO COLLEGE AND HAVE ANOTHER
OPPORTUNITY?
UNDER THIS SYSTEM,
I LOVE IT.
ONE OF THESE REPUBLICANS IS GOING TO SAY A
MURDERER WILL END UP GETTING A PELL GRANT, AND THIS IS
OUTRAGEOUS, I KNOW, BUT WE DON'T WANT ñ IF THEY ARE GOING TO COME
OUT OF PRISON, WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER IF THEY CAME OUT COLLEGE
EDUCATED?
GET A REAL JOB, RATHER THAN GOING BACK TO A LIFE OF
CRIME?
THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO IS YOU TAKE A HARDENED CRIMINAL
AND YOU ON HARD AT THEM BY
GIVING THEM A COLLEGE EDUCATION, THAT IS A WIN.
THERE WAS A STUDY ON THIS TO SEE WHAT KIND OF IMPACT
EDUCATION WOULD HAVE ON PRISONERS.
THE STUDY FOUND THAT
INMATES WHO TOOK PART IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS BEHIND BARS
HAD FORTY PERCENT LOWER ARE THE RETURNING TO PRISON THAN INMATES
WHO HAD NOT.
IT IS ACTUALLY CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN, BUT
ANOTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT THIS IS ONLY HALF OF THE
ISSUE.
YES, YOU CAN PROVIDE AN EDUCATION, AND THEY ARE MORE
LIKELY TO FIND A JOB ONCE THEY GET OUT OF PRISON, BUT ONCE YOU
ARE A CONVICTED FELON, AND YOU ARE FILLING OUT JOB
APPLICATIONS, THE LOT OF THEM ASK YOU WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE
EVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A FELONY, AND IF YOU SAY YES YOU ARE NOT
GOING TO GET THE JOB.
THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH BEING A
CONVICTED FELON ALSO NEEDS TO BE
DIMINISHED SOMEHOW.
I KNOW THERE ARE SOME CRIMES, LIKE
RAPE, OR MURDER, OR ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, WHERE A COMPANY
WOULD FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE HIRING SOMEONE, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE
PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO GOT INCARCERATED FOR NONVIOLENT DRUG
OFFENSES?
THEY DESERVE A FAIR SHOT, AND I HATED THEIR LUNCH TOGETHER
WITH ALL THE OTHER CRIMINALS.
MOST COMPANIES DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.
YOU CHECK
THAT BOX OFF, AND YOU ARE DONE.
DOESN'T MATTER IF IT WAS FOR
LOITERING, YOU ARE DONE.
ONCE YOU SERVER SENTENCE, I THINK IT
IS OVER.
WE CANNOT KEEP PUNISHING PEOPLE TO THE END OF
TIME.
YOU SERVER SENTENCE, BUT NOW FOR THE REST OF TIME YOU
HAVE TO CHECK THAT BOX OFF, YOU CAN ONLY LIVE THERE, YOU CAN'T
LIVE HERE, AND ON AND ON IT
GOES.
WE ALREADY IMPRISON PEOPLE AT A GREATER RATE THAN
ANY OTHER COUNTRY.
WE PUNISH PEOPLE REALLY HARD, UNLESS THEY
ARE BANKERS.
ENOUGH, ENOUGH.
THERE'S JUST NO MERCY LEFT IN
THE COUNTRY, AT ALL.
AGAIN, UNLESS YOU'RE INCREDIBLY RICH OR POWERFUL, THEN YOU
CAN CLAIM AFFLUENZA, OR GET OFF FOR THE LARGEST FRAUD IN
AMERICAN HISTORY, ALL THE THOSE THINGS.
BUT YOU ARE AN AVERAGE AMERICAN, THEN WE HAVE NO MERCY AND
WE'RE SICK OF IT.