With access to Pell Grants, prisoners see a bright new future ahead.
Education is not just about gaining skills for a job; it’s also about gaining confidence in yourself as someone who has the power to change for the better. With recent changes in the Pell Grant program, and at the state level in places like Oklahoma, more people in prison can now access education and with it, a path to a better life. This path benefits them and the communities in which they live.
Katie is one of these women. She is incarcerated at a facility in Oklahoma. Until recently, she never thought she’d accomplish anything beyond what’s already landed her in prison.
“I’ve been a meth cook all my life,” she says. “That’s all I knew.”
But when Katie graduated from Prison Fellowship Academy®, she saw new possibilities for her life. The Academy taught her life principles like integrity, responsibility, and productivity. As a natural outgrowth of these principles, she wanted to better herself and her community through education. But without changes to the law, there were few options for her to do this. Incarcerated men and women rarely have the financial means to pay for college classes.
Federal Pell Grants provide financial aid to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. These grants are a lifeline for incarcerated students, women like Katie, who have the potential to rise above their circumstances but may lack the money to pay for necessary schooling. And when the Pell Grants were first begun, many incarcerated men and women qualified for them.
INCARCERATED MEN AND WOMEN LOSE ACCESS TO PELL GRANTS
Tammy Franklin, who serves as a director of correctional programs at Prison Fellowship®, was also someone who benefited from a Pell Grant. She was incarcerated but was striving toward a different future for herself. She had begun taking classes with the help of a Pell Grant. Then, in 1994, a bill was passed that cut off access to Pell Grants for the incarcerated.
“I was devastated,” Tammy says. “I’d gotten my GED in prison, since I was a high school dropout going in. Once I went to prison, there was this amazing education department. I got my GED and continued in college, achieving things I never thought I would. When it was all pulled away, I was just devastated.”
Tammy was not alone. All the other women in her prison were cut off too, as were people behind bars around the country. In Tammy’s case, limited community funding allowed some of her friends to take one class at a time. But for most, the dream of earning a college degree was gone. While Tammy was eventually able to leave prison and successfully enter society, she was never able to complete her degree.
WHAT IS A PELL GRANT?
Pell Grants help undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need to pursue their dream of a college education. Unlike loans, Pell Grants do not have to be repaid.
This federal grant program has helped over 200 million students pay for college since its inception in 1980. For people in prison, it’s an essential lifeline for those wanting to better their lives and their communities.
ADVOCATING FOR FEDERAL FUNDING
Tammy saw—and felt—the loss of this opportunity for incarcerated individuals eager to change and grow as people. But she also was an integral part of bringing this opportunity back to men and women in prison. In December 2020, the FAFSA Simplification Act was signed into law. The act went into effect on July 1, 2023. One of the key features of the act is that it allows people in prison access, once again, to Pell Grants. Tammy was part of a group from Prison Fellowship that traveled to the U.S. Capitol to advocate for this change.
“I remember walking into the United States Capitol and having a seat at the table with staffers and senators,” Tammy says. “It was surreal for me. As a woman of faith, I could see how God used it all for my good and for His glory.”
Chandra Robinson is an Academy program manager in Oklahoma with Prison Fellowship, and she sees firsthand the power of education in people's lives.
“We found 25% of our graduates were already enrolled in school, whether it was to get their GED or to get college degrees,” she said.
The discovery proved encouraging. Not only were Academy graduates living out the principles they learned in the program, but they also were making good use of the new access they had for continuing education. Katie is one of Chanda's graduates who took advantage of this opportunity.
“She lacked the confidence in herself that she could do this, because she was in her mid-40s, had been out of school for over 20 years,” Chanda said. “But she just finished up her first semester in college and already got her first A.”
ADDITIONAL FUNDING COMES THROUGH THE STATE
Oklahoma, where Katie is currently incarcerated, recently passed legislation to reduce the barrier for state financial aid for incarcerated students. Sarah Decker, Prison Fellowship’s legislative strategist for Oklahoma, was part of the team that advocated for this change.
“Crime is an issue of concern for Oklahomans for all backgrounds,” Sarah wrote in The Oklahoman, “and they deserve to have their lawmakers use every proven tool to tackle it. A simple one—widening access to higher education for incarcerated students—can substantially cut their risk of reoffending.”
There are currently nearly 1.8 million men and women who are in prison in the U.S. And 95% of these people will one day return to their communities. Access to education is a key part of them returning as productive citizens. But education isn’t just about getting the credentials or skills they need for a job.
“Education helps [people in prison] know they still have purpose and can believe in themselves,” Chanda says. “They can be useful right where they are.”
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