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To cut crime, turn jailbirds into bookworms: Loretta Lynch & Arne Duncan

We need a prison to productivity pipeline.

Loretta Lynch and Arne Duncan
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, third from left, and Attorney General Loretta Lynch visit inmates in Jessup, Md., on July 31, 2015.

Our character as a people is defined by a simple, yet powerful idea: that opportunity should extend to all.  Earlier this month, President Obama commuted the sentences of 46 individuals and became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. As the president stated, America at its heart is a nation of second chances. Providing opportunities for education, treatment and training for those who have made mistakes and are serving their sentences is one of the most important things that we, as a society, can do to help people get their lives back on track, grow stronger communities and enhance public safety.

Few interventions have been shown to reduce recidivism and prepare people in prison to lead law-abiding, productive lives like access to quality postsecondary education and training. The benefits of investing in these opportunities, which also include improved employment outcomes, extend to the individual and to society. In a study funded by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, RAND Corporation estimated that incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education are 43% less likely to return to prison within three years. And for every dollar invested in correctional education programs, five dollars are saved on re-incarceration costs. A recent report from the President’s Council on Economic Advisors notes the annual cost of incarceration for a single juvenile is over $100,000 — almost twice as high as tuition, room and board and fees at the most expensive college in the country and nearly 100 times as expensive as a year of intensive mentoring.

Nearly every person behind bars will one day leave prison — approximately 700,000 annually. Setting these Americans up for success is smart economics and a critically important investment in our future.

Unfortunately, for many incarcerated individuals, this type of life-changing opportunity is unavailable. In 1994, Congress amended the Higher Education Act to ban incarcerated individuals in federal and state penal institutions from accessing Pell Grants, which could be used to help qualified inmates pay for college classes or training. This ban was passed despite the fact that higher education has been shown to reduce recidivism and despite the fact that incarcerated students made up less than 1% of all Pell Grant recipients.

The Obama administration has taken an important step toward helping people in prison contribute to the economy, transition back into their communities and stay out of the justice system after they reenter society. The Department of Education announced a new Pell Grant Experimental Site program that will allow a limited number of incarcerated individuals to be eligible to receive Pell Grants to pay for education and training programs from colleges and universities. The Department of Justice is providing technical assistance to the correctional facilities under the pilot program. We will test how restoring Pell Grant eligibility could affect educational and other outcomes. This pilot will not prevent any eligible Pell recipient from receiving a grant. What we learn will inform our efforts — and the efforts of states and localities — moving forward in this area.

Last week, we visited the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup, Md., and spoke to incarcerated students whose stories represent the extraordinary difference that access to education can make.  While in prison, these young men were determined not only to pay their debt to society, but also to eventually become productive members and leaders in their community. Through a postsecondary prison program offered by Goucher College, inmates are taking courses like political philosophy, psychology and theater, while also working several hours a day and participating in rehabilitative programming.

Their examples represent the extraordinary difference that access to education can make. Their stories are inspiring — but for too many individuals, the opportunities are simply not available. That’s why this effort is so important — not as a panacea for complex issues, but as a step in the right direction as we work to develop a comprehensive prison-to-education-and-productivity pipeline. We have an opportunity to use the power of education and training to support rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, promote successful reentry, and break cycles of underachievement in our communities.  And we look forward to working with Congress to find new ways provide second chances for the currently and formerly incarcerated.

By preparing these learners to achieve their academic and career goals, we strengthen the families and communities that depend on their success. And that is fundamentally good for America.

Loretta Lynch is the Attorney General of the United States and Arne Duncan is the secretary of Education.

In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes diverse opinions from outside writers, including our Board of ContributorsTo read more columns like this, go to the Opinion front page.

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