2nd Chance Federal Education Pell Grants For Incarcerated Individuals
Federal Pell Grant Program
Education For Those In Prison
First established in 2015 by the Obama-Biden Administration, the Initiative has expanded under the Biden Administration to 73 additional schools, providing access to education to thousands of additional students, reducing recidivism rates, and improving public safety. This expansion should bring the total number of schools able to participate in the Second Chance Pell Experiment to 200.
“The Department of Education also announced changes to policies to help incarcerated individuals with defaulted loans, allowing them to qualify for a “fresh start,” which returns borrowers with defaulted loans to repayment in good standing, and allows them to access programs like the Second Chance Pell Experiment. The Department will also allow incarcerated individuals to consolidate their loans to help them exit default in the long term”.
Multiple studies, some done by RAND.org and funded by the DOJ were shown to reduce recidivism rates and were associated with higher employment, which improved public safety and allow individuals to return home to their communities and contribute to society.
It also showed that they were 48% less likely to return to prison within three years, than those incarcerated individuals who did not participate.
The Department intends to then fully implement the legislative changes to allow eligible students in college-in-prison programs to access Federal Pell Grants beginning on July 1, 2023. To see a full experimental list of participating sites.
Launching Historic DOJ-DOL Partnership. The Department of Justice and the Department of Labor are investing:
- $145 million over FY22-FY23 to provide job skills training and individualized employment and
- reentry plans for people incarcerated in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities and to provide
- pathways for a seamless transition to employment and reentry support upon release.
- $55 million for job training, pre-apprenticeship programs, digital literacy training, and pre-release and post-release career counseling for justice-involved adults.
All of this works together, hand in glove with your efforts to get out of prison the earliest you can, on the most successful path that you can. While you may not see it now, together with the BOP (and the monster organization that it is) programs, education is something that nobody can take away from you.
I’m serious, give me a call.