Think people in prison shouldn’t get a free education? Think again.

Almost everyone who is locked up now is going to be set free one day.

I’ve just started to read Christopher Zoukis’ 2014 book, College for convicts: The case for higher education in American prisons, and I felt compelled to quote something from his introduction. Reading this quote stopped me in my tracks because his argument is spot on. I’ve written articles that make a case for higher education in prison, which I will get to in a minute. But the point Zoukis made here deserves to be highlighted.

In his introduction, he shared that although numerous studies have been undertaken, the results of which confirm the significant benefits to be gained by providing educational opportunities inside our prisons, the public continues to resist.

People ask why Americans should pay to provide a college education to those in prison when so many law-abiding citizens struggle to send their children to school. Why should those in prison get it for free?

Moreover, if we provide a learning environment for those in prison, prison will seem “less terrible and serve as a less effective deterrent to crime.”

He’s careful to note that the deterrent argument fails. Others believe that people who commit crimes made the choice to limit their freedoms when…