Isn't this unfair? Prisoners getting free bachelor's degrees from a private college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe instead of getting upset that inmates are learning so they can become productive members of society, you should be getting upset that college costs so much for everybody else.

I'm not OP but I am annoyed by this. Not really annoyed by it but everything is for the prisoner, not the victim or the families of the people they hurt and more and more money keeps going to them to "get them back on track". Nothing is ever done for them. Justice for them is just prison even though it does nothing for them. No mental health help for them. No help with money. Nothing. My husband committed a crime and had to serve time and now says his kids don't deserve money for college. But now he gets to go to college? He wasn't offered this but I could see some single mom of these people wondering where her check is for her kids to attend college.

[Anonymous]

it's unfair for paying students. go somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not really. Prison is a huge taxpayer expense, and private prison lobbies work with Republicans to keep imprisoning many non-violent offenders, at taxpayer expense. So if some of those can do something useful with their time, paid for by YOU, and be less of a burden to society in the future instead of going back to a life of crime, that's ultimately to your benefit, OP.

Until we can ban guns. That will clear out a TON of prisons and lower costs! Obviously the NRA and prison lobbies don't want that.

Yes, they should be doing things to ease the burden of taxpayers. Like doing road projects or making things to help victims. They can better themselves through this work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe instead of getting upset that inmates are learning so they can become productive members of society, you should be getting upset that college costs so much for everybody else.

I'm not OP but I am annoyed by this. Not really annoyed by it but everything is for the prisoner, not the victim or the families of the people they hurt and more and more money keeps going to them to "get them back on track". Nothing is ever done for them. Justice for them is just prison even though it does nothing for them. No mental health help for them. No help with money. Nothing. My husband committed a crime and had to serve time and now says his kids don't deserve money for college. But now he gets to go to college? He wasn't offered this but I could see some single mom of these people wondering where her check is for her kids to attend college.

Or even for her. Where is her college enrollment to pay for taking care of her kids? Why do prisoners all of a sudden need college degrees?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe instead of getting upset that inmates are learning so they can become productive members of society, you should be getting upset that college costs so much for everybody else.

I'm not OP but I am annoyed by this. Not really annoyed by it but everything is for the prisoner, not the victim or the families of the people they hurt and more and more money keeps going to them to "get them back on track". Nothing is ever done for them. Justice for them is just prison even though it does nothing for them. No mental health help for them. No help with money. Nothing. My husband committed a crime and had to serve time and now says his kids don't deserve money for college. But now he gets to go to college? He wasn't offered this but I could see some single mom of these people wondering where her check is for her kids to attend college.

Yep that sucks too. Your husband (or ex) really says his kids don't deserve money for college? What a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really OP? eyeroll.

Wouldn't you rather these convicts learn something useful while they are serving time - and perhaps give them a chance to be productive, self supporting individuals when they leave?

And for those that don't leave....how exactly is their degree behind bars of any consequence to your low/middle class kid.

Finally, I bet you you looked hard enough, you could find a school willing to help your child go to college. If your kid is a good student, find a school that has stats far below their own and get merit aid.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe instead of getting upset that inmates are learning so they can become productive members of society, you should be getting upset that college costs so much for everybody else.

I'm not OP but I am annoyed by this. Not really annoyed by it but everything is for the prisoner, not the victim or the families of the people they hurt and more and more money keeps going to them to "get them back on track". Nothing is ever done for them. Justice for them is just prison even though it does nothing for them. No mental health help for them. No help with money. Nothing. My husband committed a crime and had to serve time and now says his kids don't deserve money for college. But now he gets to go to college? He wasn't offered this but I could see some single mom of these people wondering where her check is for her kids to attend college.

Or even for her. Where is her college enrollment to pay for taking care of her kids? Why do prisoners all of a sudden need college degrees?

So you guys think that prisoners shouldn't get a free college education because their baby mamas don't get it too? Do you think nobody should get something better until everybody has something better and until then we all just have to deal with crappy things?

In case you are actually concerned with the families of the incarcerated and don't want to just whine about inmates going to college, here is a list of organizations that help and advocate for families of the incarcerated:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/organizations/?CWIGFunctionsaction=rols:main.dspList&rolType=Custom&RS_ID=113&rList=ROL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe instead of getting upset that inmates are learning so they can become productive members of society, you should be getting upset that college costs so much for everybody else.

I'm not OP but I am annoyed by this. Not really annoyed by it but everything is for the prisoner, not the victim or the families of the people they hurt and more and more money keeps going to them to "get them back on track". Nothing is ever done for them. Justice for them is just prison even though it does nothing for them. No mental health help for them. No help with money. Nothing. My husband committed a crime and had to serve time and now says his kids don't deserve money for college. But now he gets to go to college? He wasn't offered this but I could see some single mom of these people wondering where her check is for her kids to attend college.

This is a valid point. Perhaps the program would be willing to provide the same funds/opportunities to spouses and/or children of the prisoners?

[Anonymous]

According to gov scorecard, the average LAB-ABIDING middle class kid leaves Calvin University with $23,000 in student loans.

While CONVICTED CRIMINALS get a free bachelor's degree.

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?169080-Calvin-University

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to gov scorecard, the average LAB-ABIDING middle class kid leaves Calvin University with $23,000 in student loans.

While CONVICTED CRIMINALS leave get a free bachelor's degree.

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?169080-Calvin-University

Bummer! This is totally unfair. Clearly we need to make college more accessible to the middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bard College has a similar program. They did a documentary on it https://bpi.bard.edu/

So does Cornell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really OP? eyeroll.

Wouldn't you rather these convicts learn something useful while they are serving time - and perhaps give them a chance to be productive, self supporting individuals when they leave?

And for those that don't leave....how exactly is their degree behind bars of any consequence to your low/middle class kid.

Finally, I bet you you looked hard enough, you could find a school willing to help your child go to college. If your kid is a good student, find a school that has stats far below their own and get merit aid.

I bet you're wrong. And pray tell, why don't the convicted felons need to have "good" stats? And by good you mean great. Yet most criminals are bottom their class at lower end high schools. Yet to get free college via merit and financial aid as a law-abiding kid, you need near perfect stats and finish at the top of the class. How is this in any way fair to donut hole low and middle class kids?

[Anonymous]

Fun fact: Betsy DeVos is a Calvin University alum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not really. Prison is a huge taxpayer expense, and private prison lobbies work with Republicans to keep imprisoning many non-violent offenders, at taxpayer expense. So if some of those can do something useful with their time, paid for by YOU, and be less of a burden to society in the future instead of going back to a life of crime, that's ultimately to your benefit, OP.

Until we can ban guns. That will clear out a TON of prisons and lower costs! Obviously the NRA and prison lobbies don't want that.

Yes, they should be doing things to ease the burden of taxpayers. Like doing road projects or making things to help victims. They can better themselves through this work.

Making them do road projects or the equivalent = slavery (which for some reason i don’t understand is still legal in the US).

[Anonymous]

Look OP. Somebody thought it would be a good idea for inmates to get college degrees, then they got some momentum going and made it happen. If you think something needs to change, do the same thing. Make it happen. There are already lots of people trying to change the problems oriole have identified on this thread about college accessibility for various groups. Figure out what cause you want to support and go support it.