By Margaret diZerega and Raphael Ginsberg

Special to the Salisbury Post

It is rare to see bipartisan support for anything in Congress these days, but recently Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle publicly supported lifting the federal ban on Pell Grants for people in prison through the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Soon thereafter, a separate piece of legislation was introduced that would also lift the Pell ban. Legislative vehicles aside, removing federal barriers to postsecondary education for people in prison is the kind of common sense, bipartisan governing Americans are looking for.

Through our collective work to expand access to postsecondary education for people in prison at the state-level, we have identified three simple reasons to support removing federal barriers:

• The first is economic opportunity.

Studies show that 65 percent of all new jobs require some postsecondary education. However, only 22 percent of people in state prison have had at least some postsecondary education.

More than 90 percent of people in prison are eventually released, whether they are ready to secure a job or not.  By improving access to postsecondary courses and training to people while incarcerated, they are more likely to secure jobs upon their release that lead to other education and economic opportunities that improve their and their family’s future.

• The second is safer communities.

In North Carolina, the current recidivism rate stands around 40.7 percent. However, when formerly incarcerated individuals are able to secure jobs, they are less likely to return to crime.

In fact, studies have shown prisoners who participate in postsecondary education and training programs are 43 percent less likely to return to prison than people who do not.

What’s more, prisons with postsecondary programs have fewer violent incidents. This is because the programs provide students the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing members of their communities while still in prison, ultimately helping corrections professionals do their jobs safely.

• The third and final reason is, quite simply, what we are doing now is not enough.

North Carolina spends on average $30,180 annually incarcerating an individual, but barriers to education for those individuals continue to result in recidivism rates that diminished the state’s return on that investment.

Consider the alternative: according to a study from the RAND Corporation, every dollar invested in correctional education yields four to five dollars in savings from a reduction in recidivism rates.

Because it costs more to incarcerate someone than to educate them, by expanding access to postsecondary programs for students in prison we will hold individuals accountable while also saving money and improving safety in the long run.

The North Carolina Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to providing academic and vocational training opportunities to incarcerated individuals. Expanding access to postsecondary education for people in prison would enhance opportunities the Division currently provides through partnerships with local community colleges and universities.

This effort is also consistent with the goals and objectives of the newly formed State Reentry Council Collaborative which is focused on identifying pathways to success for people leaving prison.

Margaret diZerega is project director of the Center on Sentencing and Corrections, at the Vera Institute of Justice. 

Raphael Ginsberg is associate director of correctional education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.