For those of you who are not subscribers, the following was published as a Viewpoint piece in the January 24 edition of our local paper, the first of a series of monthly "Justice Matters" columns by the Valley Justice Coalition:
Did you know Pell Grants are available to incarcerated individuals in Virginia?
Pell Grants, which cover full tuition at public two-year schools and a portion of the cost at four-year schools, can help incarcerated students pay for tuition, fees, books, and supplies. The money goes directly to the academic institution and must not be repaid.
The reason this matters is education programs in prisons can help reduce recidivism and increase employment rates for ex-offenders. In fact, education in prison can reduce recidivism by about 15% and increase employment rates for ex-offenders by about 7%.
Although incarcerated people have been eligible for Pell Grants since July 2023, after a federal ban that lasted nearly 30 years, only about 600 Virginia inmates are currently using the grants.
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) is working to expand access to higher education in Virginia prisons. The VICPP is involving stakeholders across education, corrections, justice-impacted, employers, and legislators in a consensus-building process
“College programs in prisons and in jails were relatively normal. It was understood. It wasn’t a boutique,” says Terri Erwin, liaison to higher education for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, a statewide public policy advocacy organization. The passage of the 1994 Crime Bill “wrecked the business model for schools. It speaks to how important Pell is as a driver in making it possible for colleges to do what I think plenty of them want to do and will want to do, and that incarcerated people would benefit from.”
In 2015, with the 1990s “tough on crime” era in the rearview mirror, the U.S. Education Department requested colleges to begin rebuilding the pre-1994 model through the Second Chance Pell Grant Experiment. Last year, under the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Simplification Act of 2020, the doors opened again for incarcerated people to apply for Pell grants (23 community colleges in Virginia).
The Virginia Legislature has also taken action to expand the use of Pell Grants in Virginia prisons with Pell Initiative for Virginia. The PIV is a program funded by the Virginia Legislature to increase the number of Pell Grant-eligible students enrolled in state-supported colleges and universities. The PIV requires annual reports that include data on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Pell-eligible students.
The Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison is another group working to expand higher education opportunities in prison. The group is calling for the University of Virginia to create a pathway to a bachelor’s degree for Piedmont Virginia Community College students.
Pell Grants are also available to incarcerated students. As of fall 2024, incarcerated students across the country have access to federal Pell Grant funds for the first time in a generation. This change was made possible by the FAFSA Simplification Act, which reauthorized the Pell Grant program through 2034.
Only 11 of Virginia’s 45 prisons offer college classes, but about 14,000 incarcerated people in Virginia prisons have access to Pell Grants.
You must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to apply for a Pell Grant, and fill out the FAFSA form every year to remain eligible.
Debra Turner is a legislative advisor for the Valley Justice Coalition. Monthly Justice Matters columns are provided by members of the VJC, a local citizen voice for criminal justice reform in our community and in the Commonwealth since 2104. https://www.vjcharrisonburg.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment