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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Some citizens would object to the way prisoners live. I agree. American taxpayers fund this ridiculous system with more than $60 billion in expenditures each year. Locking more than 2.4 million people in prison may play well for those who advocate tough-on-crime policies. Yet in reality, these prison systems seem too much like communism. Instead of preparing offenders to live as contributory citizens, these prisons extinguish hope and perpetuate failure. The high recidivism rates validate my argument.

Prison administrators use these institutions as human warehouses. The prison system has fueled a cottage industry of prison lobbyists that advocate for escalating prison expenditures and longer sentences. Prison unions want people to serve time in prison for the obvious reason of creating more prison related jobs.

With the current economic crisis in our country, the time has come to think smarter about taxpayer expenditures. Instead of funding these absurd human resources, and giving prisoners an easier life than many citizens in society enjoy, taxpayers ought to demand a better system. I can think of strategies that would encourage more prisoners to prepare for law abiding, contributing lives upon release. To reach such an objective, taxpayers would have to let go of those misconceptions that inordinately long sentences for nonviolent offenders yields safer societies.

Those of us who made bad decisions and violated criminal laws should pay a price. For some, that price may include time in prison. Yet society should not warehouse human beings for decades. That does not serve a useful purpose. I believe in programs that would encourage prisoners to earn their freedom through useful contributions.

I am a huge believer in education programs. Through the Pell Grant, I was able to meet the costs of an undergraduate degree. I feel as though I contributed to the costs of my education because while I was studying, I worked a full-time job in prison with the nominal wage of 12 cents per hour. Besides the subsidized education, however, the taxpayer investment has enabled me to make meaningful contributions to society. My education has prepared me for employment upon release, and that employment will obliterate the chances of my recidivism. I have created a place for myself in society that will yield higher tax revenues for the system. Further, my contributions will persuade more prisoners to prepare for law-abiding lives upon release. It costs less to educate a man than to incarcerate him, and the rewards for society are infinitely higher. With more than 21 years of prison behind me, however, I believe I’ve had enough of confinement. The time is here for my release.

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