Obama thinks inmates should have the right to earn and education and you should pay for it.
On Friday, the Education Department and the Justice Department are expected to announce a pilot program giving prisoners access to federal Pell grants per CNN.They want to test to see if education programs will be effective in breaking the cycle of repeat offenders.
In 1994, Congress banned prisoners from being eligible to receive Pell grants. Since then prison populations have grown significantly and Obama thinks that is one of the reasons why.
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Even though the administration cannot lift the ban without Congressional approval the Education Department can run a temporary pilot program.
Currently Pell grants are for low-income students and they do not have to be repaid. After students qualify for the grant they can use it to cover tuition, books and other educational expenses.
Feds are also asking colleges to submit proposals for courses prisoners can take.This pilot program is only one of the ways Obama wants to overhaul the justice system. He also is calling for sentencing reform, and reducing tough-on-crime stances put in place by prior administrations.