The 1994 Crime Bill banned Pell Grants to prisoners. In 2015, the Obama Administration created the Second Chance Pell Program, which allows a maximum of 12,000 incarcerated individuals to receive Pell Grants to pursue higher education. South Dakota is not among the 27 states participating.
The Vera Institute of Justice presents an analysis by the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality that says lifting the ban completely would open the door for 58% of South Dakota’s prison population to get post-secondary degrees. What good would that do?
…the odds of being employed after incarceration were 12 percent higher for people who had participated in any educational or vocational programs while in prison.
…the odds of recidivating are 48 percent less for those who take part in postsecondary education programs in prison than for those in prison who do not [Patrick Oakford, Cara Brumfield, Casey Goldvale, and
Laura Tatum, Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality
Margaret diZerega and Fred Patrick, Vera Institute of Justice, “Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison,” Vera Institute of Justice, January 2019].
If re-opening Pell Grants to prisoners would get 50% of the eligible pen population to apply, participants in South Dakota would see about $407K in additional earnings in their first year of release. The concomitantly lowered recidivism rate would translate into prison savings in South Dakota of $1.7 million.
Shall we invest in educating our prisoners to keep them from returning to their costly cells?
South Dakota is about punishment and shame not rehabilitation, not that everyone can or wants to be, but the attitude in this state is about 20 or 30 years behind the rest of the country. Or at least 10 to 20.
“Shall we invest in educating our prisoners to keep them from returning to their costly cells?”
Depends. Are you one of the SDGOP’s big donors making $ off prisons?
If course we should educate prisoners and pass that savings on to the citizens of the state through infrastructure improvements, upgrading schools, etc.
Democrats don’t make money off of Prisons?
It’s hilarious you think that Debbo.
Who are the Democrats that make money off prisons?
Roger,
Why don’t you ask Debbo who are the Republican big donors making money off of the Prisons?
She is first in line so you should ask her before I answer your question.
Jason,
Admit it, you can’t answer my question about Democrats that profit off prisons.
This is why it has become a waste of time trying to discuss Cory’s posts when Debbo makes an an asinine comment trying to make this a political issue.
This should be a State issue and not paid for by the Feds in my opinion.
Sure I can Roger. You just ask Debbo who she is talking about and I will.
Jason, you can’t name any Democrats, that’s my point. It has nothing to do with Debbo.
Sure it does.
I will answer your question after you ask her who she is talking about.
It tells me a lot about you that you are not questioning who she is talking about.
Jason, try the point of the article rather than focusing entirely on one sentence I wrote alluding to the generalized corruption of the SDGOP.
C’mon Jason, the point, the issue. If you want to focus on my comment, try the last paragraph.
I gave my opinion on the article.
Your generalized lie makes Cory’s blog worthless to spend time on.
Ms. Geelsdottir, if grudznick was a fellow making a little cash off investments that were performing as expected, I mean why would I invest in things that I didn’t expect would perform, is it bad or evil if you hate the things I make my money off of? Hypothetically. Don’t just throw down your hate and rage on me because I’m a man, let me know if my sitchiation would be a bad thing.
I’m just sayin…
If that’s how you feel then you should definitely honor that and leave. Bye. 👋👋👋
Or I could just make factual replies to your lies like I have in this thread.
You lie more than Obama and Trump.
Cory,
How exactly did Obama provide Pell grants that were banned by Congress?
If Obama can provide Pell Grants banned by Congress, why can’t Trump build a wall with funds that were going to go to foreign Countries like Mexico?
From a money standpoint recidivism is expensive, and if criminals go back out into society unemployable without new skills they get back into crime and encourage others to be criminals. It’s a partially reversible trend for those who want to change people should not be thrown away, minus the incorrigibles. Simple, tough talk tends to win in South Dakota but giving people a second chance and preparing them is not a bleeding heart cause but a practical one with measurable outcomes (as Porter has linked to previously) not to mention that it’s just the decent thing to do.
God bless the State of South Dakota for being so kind in paying for the excellent care our Native American family members receive while they are incarcerated. Your lovely state pays for three square meals a day and nice clean bedding for them to sleep on every night. We love you South Dakota for providing them a home because they cannot get housing on outside because they have criminal records and will end up on the streets. South Dakotan’s have the best state in the union with your felony law on ingestion where you take in our addicts and keep them clean and sober for us. Thank you for the taxes you collect just to take care of our loved ones. God will bless you for your loving kindness. Pilamaye
Beautiful Ms. Chasing Hawk, and not in the least bit untrue. No sense providing opportunities when you can just warehouse.
Good one Ms. Chasing Hawk. 👍
She wisely points out, not only the expenses of incarceration, but some of the problems outside following release.
City Pages, a weekly Minneapolis tabloid, had a good article about a grilled cheese cafe that’s doing great work with newly released felons. Yes, a grilled cheese cafe.
https://goo.gl/F3GKT2
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=G7000
Prisons for profits paid wingnuts beaucoupm campaign contributions.
My sister likes to quote 50% of prisoners are dyslexic there are reasons people end up incarcerated. The article below quotes that in addition to:
– 85% of all juveniles in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.
– 70% of inmates in America’s prisons can’t read beyond a 4th-grade level.
– 2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.
Hard not to conclude education needs more investment a big bang for Grutz’s buck: “The U.S. spends an average of $13,000 per child per year in the public schools. Compare that to the average of $32,000 per inmate per year in prison (and up to $60,000 in some states).”
https://medium.com/@judysantillipackhem/cant-read-go-directly-to-jail-do-not-pass-go-17f26d286a83
Or how about we just stop putting non-violent criminals in cages in the first place?
I’m too lazy to google the statistics, but if I remember correctly, violent criminals released from prison are many times more likely to land back in prison than non-violent criminals released from prison.
Good info HC. What leads to some of those stats is that 90+% of women inmates and 80+% of men inmates were abused as children.
That makes it look like the SDGOP is going at the problem entirely backwards. (We are not surprised.)
Spend the $ on schools and social programs for children and their parents. It will pay off bigly.
On this Deb we agree entirely. When the stats are available why do people insist on being tough hardliners? It’s a South Dakota cultural thing I’m convinced of that a finger-pointing mentality they love to blame the troubled adults but refuse to look at the causes makes absolutely no sense. Almost like blaming a woman for being raped kids raised in one environment expecting them to come out entirely different it’s moronic. And in the meantime you can’t have an abortion this place is too stupid sorry I went on vacation and failed to remember this is The Land That Time Forgot.
South Dakota is determined to keep the Red Man down. They know that the majority of those in the prison system are Native Americans. South Dakota doesn’t want our Native American felons to be educated. They love taking care of them within the prison system so they can feel safe.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/23/private-prisons-arent-that-big-a-deal/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4eb4d5c3f871
What a difference a year and a different Potus can make.
https://money.cnn.com/2017/02/24/investing/private-prison-stocks-soar-trump/index.html
Ernestine … So true. Instead of exploring and embracing the only unique and valid culture in SD, the “white right” chooses to ignore and fear. Locking up Indians is a way to feel less than worthless, for them.
more than worthless