I was a recipient of the Pell Grant program when I began serving my term, in 1987. As a consequence of my imprisonment, I was poor. I had no income. Thus I qualified for the grant, and because of it I earned an undergraduate degree from Mercer University. That degree led me to an opportunity to earn a graduate degree from Hofstra University. Those educational accomplishments opened opportunities for me to make meaningful contributions to society. Those opportunities generated tax revenues that more than compensated for the expenditures that went for my education. Taxpayers thus have already been compensated for my education, and they will continue to reap returns as a consequence of my higher earning power and my certainty of living as a better citizen than I would have been had I not educated myself during my prison term.

All citizens who lack a sufficient income to pay for their education ought to have access to Pell Grants. That is wise public policy because it contributes to a more enlightened society. Those in prison should not receive an easier ride than anyone in society, though citizens should encourage rather than deny prisoners opportunities to earn academic credentials. It makes good sense.

Jennifer is a criminal justice student who asked me why prisoners should have it easier than students who were not in prison. Those in prison do not have it easier. Prisoners must still work. It’s just that they do not earn an income for their labor. I would not object to programs that required prisoners to perform more community service to earn their access to education. Society should recognize, however, that it reaps a higher return through investment in education than it does through the massive, wasteful expenditures on prisons as depicted through the Pew Report.

Despite the educational credentials I have earned, I expect to encounter numerous obstacles upon my release. I will have served 25 years. That concern motivates me to work exceptionally hard. Readers may follow my prison routine by reading my published statement of Values and Goals as well as my Prison Journal entries. If administrators were to support prison reforms that offered more incentives, I think more prisoners would adjust positively. Unfortunately, as high recidivism rates show, most prisoners fail upon release.

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I have written extensively about my experiences of living in prison for more than 21 years. I have also written about others. The energy I invested was part of my effort to help more people understand American prisons, the people they held, and strategies for growing through confinement.

Publishers have brought three of my books to market. Many university professors use those books as a resource to educate students of criminal justice, corrections, sociology, and other subjects. Recently, my wife Carole helped me open interactive opportunities through which I participate more directly with university students.

The program began with Dr. Sam Torres, professor of criminal justice at California State University Long Beach. His students read through articles available on PrisonNewsBlog.com as well as my books. They then post questions or reactions to my work in the comment section that follows each article. Since I don’t have direct access to the internet, or even typewriters, Carole sends me student questions through the mail. I write my responses out in longhand, and return them to Carole. She then transcribes those comments and publishes them on the blog.

I value such opportunities to interact with society. I am hopeful that other universities will extend opportunities for me to contribute. They add meaning to my life. I feel confident these interactions are advancing the preparations I make to emerge as a law-abiding citizen after my quarter-century in confinement.

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We need prison reforms that will bring new leadership to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Recidivism rates are high because prisons fail to prepare offenders for the challenges they will encounter upon release. In Ryno’s article, he quotes a high-level administrator at FCI Oxford who said that programs that teach occupational skills like janitorial services would benefit inmates more than university degrees. I disagree.

When I began serving my federal prison sentence, in 1987, prisoners were entitled to receive educational funding through the Pell grant. Those funds made it possible for me to change my life in significant ways. As a consequence of the PelI grant, I was able to begin and complete my undergraduate studies. In 1992, Mercer University awarded my baccalaureate degree. That credential enabled me to advance to graduate studies. In 1995, Hofstra University awarded me a master’s degree.

Some shortsighted people may object to taxpayer funds being used to subsidize educational programs for people in prison. Yet I would submit that taxpayers have an interest in helping prisoners develop skills and credentials that translate into successful lives upon release. Statistics show that prisoners who leave confinement with academic credentials have significantly lower recidivism rates than those who leave prison with minimal skills.

Prisoners who return to society face significant hurdles. They struggle to gain traction after years or decades of confinement. Yet those who have committed the discipline necessary to earn high-level academic credentials stand much more prepared to contribute to society in meaningful ways. Those contributions lead to higher earnings and more tax revenues for society. Offering high-level academic programs to those in prison represent a wise investment of public funds. Only the foolish would choose to invest in more prison cells.

As a consequence of the academic program to which I committed during my first decade of confinement, I built relationships with many mentors. Professor Norval Morris, who was with the University of Chicago and one of the most distinguished penologists in the world, was a friend and teacher of mine. In his book The Future of Imprisonment, Professor Morris wrote that society had an interest in helping those in prison advance and earn academic credentials to the highest level possible. Education, he was convinced, was the single most effective vehicle to break the cycle of crime.

In my article titled One Man’s Walk Through Atlanta’s Jungle, which I wrote in the early 1990s, I described what it felt like to begin serving a lengthy sentence in a high-security penitentiary when I was in my early 20s. I wrote more on the subject in Facing Long-Term Incarceration. When I published those articles, I could not envision the full manner in which a 45-year prison term could suck the life out of me. Yet through my commitment to education, I was able to offset the disaster of my lengthy term.

Now I have more than 21 years of prison behind me. I am nearly 45 years old, and I expect to serve a few more years before release will come. Yet as a consequence of my educational credentials, I will leave prison unscathed, ready to begin my life as a contributing citizen. In fact, my academic credentials have opened opportunities to contribute to society from within prison boundaries. I have published several books and articles, and I have employment offers that await my release. The investment taxpayers have made in my education will ensure that I live the rest of my life as a productive citizen. Society ought to support prison reforms that will allow more prisoners to emerge from these boundaries with skills and resources that will help them overcome the challenges and hurdles certain to follow confinement.

With President Obama’s leadership, and a strong Congress, I hope for legislation in 2009 that will help more offenders prepare for release in meaningful ways. In our enlightened society, we ought to encourage and support those who are striving to reconcile and redeem the bad decisions of their past. Through my work and my example, I hope to offer compelling reasons for positive change to our nation’s prison system.

The post Prison Reform Should Include Pell Grants for Prisoners appeared first on Prison News Blog.

During the course of my imprisonment, I found the pursuit of higher education to be extremely fulfilling. While I was enrolled in university programs, working my way toward earning the credits necessary to earn a degree, I felt as if I were living a productive life. Instead of dwelling on the many decades I was scheduled to serve, I focused on learning the various academic disciplines in which I was enrolled.

Any prisoner who has the motivation ought to consider using his time to build meaningful credentials that will assist his transition upon release. Prison administrators may erect more obstacles than necessary, but prisoners who persevere will find huge inner rewards for the effort. As a consequence of the undergraduate and graduate degree that I earned, many more opportunities opened for me. I attribute my academic credentials to opening my publishing opportunities and even to opening the relationship that led to my marriage. Pursuit of education while I was incarcerated brought meaning to my life, and the degrees will assist my transition into a law-abiding life upon relief.

I also urge readers to read my posts at prisonnewsblog.com, and to consult the catalog for all of my articles about the prison system, the people it holds, and strategies for personal growth during confinement.

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