Pell Grant Expansion is Key During the Recession
The recent expansion of the Second Chance Pell pilot program gives 130 colleges and universities across 42 states the opportunity to provide need-based Pell Grants to students who are incarcerated. This move is timely especially given the recession the United States is now facing as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to college coursework and the attainment of postsecondary education can make individuals re-entering more competitive when seeking employment.
With unprecedented levels of employment loss, communities across the United States are experiencing the economic ramifications of a pandemic-induced recession. For individuals with criminal records, the loss of a job can be especially dire. With employers reducing hiring callbacks by 50 percent if an individual possesses a criminal record, when folks do obtain employment they spend time cultivating trust to ensure job security for a prolonged period of time. When those jobs disappear, the cycle begins again — stigma as a consequence of criminal record, prolonged unemployment, and life under the poverty line.
Unemployment resulting from social-distancing policy is projected to especially hurt people formerly involved with the justice system. Research tracking employment among individuals with records find that manufacturing (29.63%), retail trade jobs (10.22%), and accommodation and food service (13.91%) are common sectors for employment. As it currently stands, the most apparent job cuts are felt by workers in retail trade and food service. Manufacturing jobs are also not protected, as 80 percent of manufacturers expect that the pandemic will have a financial impact on their business, and companies with closed facilities are planning layoffs to curb transmission of COVID-19.
Given these economic conditions, individuals projected to re-enter due to the Second Chance Act and the First Step Act update, which offers a 12-month sentence reduction upon completion of evidence-based programs, will face challenges gaining employment. Without policies that equip justice-involved individuals with credentials to be competitive in a depressed economy, the second chance they are being granted is merely a promise.
Findings indicate that educational attainment has the capacity to reduce the overall rate of unemployment among formerly incarcerated people and by 2020 65 percent of jobs will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school.
The recent expansion of Second Chance Pell (SCP), piloted by the Obama administration, garnered interest among individuals presently incarcerated. Personal anecdotes from students in the program explain that higher education in prison offers resources for exploring the structures of power distribution, inequity, and injustice. In 2017, a total of 10,654 individuals were enrolled across three semesters. The Vera Institute found that between 2015 and 2017, individuals earned 701 certificates, 230 associate degrees, and 23 bachelor’s degrees. The expansion of SCP to an additional 67 educational institutions means increased geographic diversity of offered programs, taking a step closer to ensuring that institutional placement does not bar you from education.
Distance Learning in Correctional Facilities
Among the added institutions, eight offer instruction through distance delivery models, and another 18 schools offer hybrid models of instruction. Given the adjustments correctional environments are making in response to the coronavirus pandemic, postsecondary programs are also making changes. Some colleges have been able to continue coursework through video conferencing, with the state Department of Corrections (DOC) reducing restrictions around the access and use of technology among program participants. However, these policies are not uniform across jurisdictions, let alone states. The Department of Education (DOE) should partner with the DOC to offer guidance on implementing postsecondary programs in facilities during times of crisis, while still meeting the quality standards expected of higher education institutions.
Failing to Account for the Recently Released, Vulnerable to COVID-19
While the expansion of Second Chance Pell (SCP) is a step forward, individuals who are released under COVID-19 conditions do not expect access to the Pell Grant post-release. Not only does temporarily induced re-entry disrupt student obtainment of credentials, but since state release policy is generally restricted to individuals convicted for non-violent offenses, this means that those released with a conviction for possession or sale of illegal drugs are ineligible to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In other words, many individuals returning to society will be unable to access federal aid for postsecondary education because of conviction technicality. The Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act, introduced in 2019, was intended to reverse this, making all individuals currently and formerly incarcerated in Federal and State penal institutions eligible for the federal Pell Grant.
Unfortunately, while the legislation was introduced with bipartisan support, the bill stalled. The new recession should ignite reconsideration among federal policymakers. The Vera Institute found that postsecondary education access among formerly incarcerated workers can have an economic benefit across the country. Data indicate that if 50 percent of the eligible prison population participated in a postsecondary education program, employment rates upon re-entry would increase by nearly 10 percent. Nationally, within their first year of return formerly incarcerated workers with prior access to postsecondary education are projected to add $45.3 million to the economy.
Jacqueline Lantsman is currently receiving her Masters of Public Health, with a focus on health policy, at the George Washington University Milken School of Public Health. She takes a cross-sectoral approach to advancing quality of life. Her former experiences include policy research and programmatic work at the Brookings Institution, the Drug Policy Alliance, and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
