Prisoners who spend years or decades inside this system sense the hopelessness. They recognize the administrative indifference to rehabilitation. An individual who strives to educate himself in prison must overcome daily hurdles, as rules block his access rather than encourage him. Besides the obstacles that are ancillary to confinement, prisoners cope with the emotional strain of being separated from loved ones.

Since many prisoners lack the emotional or psychological strength necessary to commit to sustained efforts to prepare for success upon release, and the corrections system offers little in the way of shaping positive prison adjustments, many prisoners fail to acquire the skills or support networks necessary to overcome the challenges that await release. As recidivism rates show, many prisoners return to confinement. It is no accident that their time in corrections has conditioned the prisoners for failure.

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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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