What exactly is unfair? They get a college degree but let’s be honest, it will still be hard for them to get a job.

I’m not upset prisoners have this option.

I’m upset non-prisoners don’t

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

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Prison is for punishment

I always thought it was for punishment and rehabilitation. You'd rather they come out with no skills and no way to make a living? That's not very smart.

You would think a degree would make ex-cons more employable and decrease the chances of a welfare recipient.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Prison is for punishment

again - eyeroll

If you think prison isn't punishment then go ahead and make the trade off - send your child to prison so they can get a free degree. Bonkers.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Prison is for punishment

Is not having freedom to move around, see family, eat better food, etc not punishment enough for you? You also want people to not be able to go to college?

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.

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.

Prison is for punishment

Anonymous wrote:Calvin University is a private college in western Michigan. Tuition and fees are $38,370, so even if the prisoners get full $6,895 year pell grant, that's a lot of free scholarships or however it's provided.

In other words, convicted criminals get free college and rich kids get free college from their parents, of course, while low and middle class kid are soaked with an average of $30,000 in student loans for a state university degree (it's about $35,000 for a private bachelor's). This seems extremely unfair, yet the media champions it.

Detroit Free Press: Caps, gowns and barbed wire: First-ever college graduation in prison was joyous celebration
https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2022/05/09/prison-graduation-handlon-correctional-facility/9708357002/

It's a privately funded program apart from the Pell Grants (which cover 60% of the costs). Pell Grants are equally available to qualified people outside prison, and private individuals are free to donate to a charity that they like. Calvin also is pretty generous with aid, from what I understand.

I graduated with about that amount of debt, and no, I don't think it's "unfair." They're a religious college, and to me, as a Christian this is following the Gospel. Visiting the prisoner is a direct instruction of Christ after all, and visiting the prisoner and bringing him education that will hopefully help him to stay free when released? That's a good work. Not unfair.

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.

If you read the article you linked you would know that its 60% pell grants (low-income) and the rest are private donations.

They are serving their time. What else do you want from them? Its obviously not enough that these prisoners have decided to educate themselves or in the words of one of the graduates ""It's just another opportunity for me to learn," he said. "The more I learn, the better it makes me as a person."

These are the good things in the world we can and should do. Do I roll my eyes at the ministry part- yes, but I also know that recidivism is hard and that people are capable of turning their lives around.

Life isn't fair.

Calvin University is a private college in western Michigan. Tuition and fees are $38,370, so even if the prisoners get full $6,895 year pell grant, that's a lot of free scholarships or however it's provided.

In other words, convicted criminals get free college and rich kids get free college from their parents, of course, while low and middle class kid are soaked with an average of $30,000 in student loans for a state university degree (it's about $35,000 for a private bachelor's). This seems extremely unfair, yet the media champions it.

Detroit Free Press: Caps, gowns and barbed wire: First-ever college graduation in prison was joyous celebration
https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2022/05/09/prison-graduation-handlon-correctional-facility/9708357002/