Pell Grant Restoration
Brief History:
The Pell Grant was established in the Higher Education Act of 1965 as an entitlement program to support low income students to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree, including students in prisons. For nearly 40 years, incarcerated students had access to Pell Grants to fund their education. As a result, higher education opportunities expanded in prisons. In the early 1990’s the program came under attack and was limited in 1992 to exclude students with life sentences. In the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994, incarcerated students were excluded from receiving pell grants completely.
As a result, the vast majority of programs ended nationwide (shrinking from an estimated 772 programs in 1990 to only eight programs by 1997 (Robinson & English 2017). The programs that persisted and continue to emerge often do so without substantial resources.
Since the Second Chance Act of 2007, we have seen renewed interest in prison education and increasing support from philanthropic foundations and the Dept. of Education Second Chance Pell Pilot Program. In 2016, Second Chance Pell was created under the Obama administration and the experimental sites initiative at the Dept. of Ed. So far, 10,048 incarcerate students have received Federal Pell Grant funds from 64 institutions. In 2019, the Second Chance Pell Initiative was reauthorized for another 3-5 years and soon new colleges will be able to apply. However, pell grants for college in prison programs should not only be awarded in the experiment- Legislators should restore pell grant eligibility to all incarcerated students nationwide.
Current Opportunity:
In 2019, we have an opportunity to restore Pell grant access for incarcerated students through the REAL Act and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. While we are cautiously optimistic about this opportunity, we understand that advocates will have to overcome significant opposition and dehumanizing ideologies, relicts of the tough on crime era, that is still very much alive and well in the hearts and minds of many legislators and the general public. Despite some opposition, the REAL Act has bi-partisan support in both the house and the senate and pell restoration for people in prison was included in the House Higher Education Act Reauthorization bill named the College Affordability Act, which passed out of committee on December 10th, 2019. UHE advocates will continue to push for full pell restoration for all incarcerated people!
The Pell Grant was established in the Higher Education Act of 1965 as an entitlement program to support low income students to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree, including students in prisons. For nearly 40 years, incarcerated students had access to Pell Grants to fund their education. As a result, higher education opportunities expanded in prisons. In the early 1990’s the program came under attack and was limited in 1992 to exclude students with life sentences. In the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994, incarcerated students were excluded from receiving pell grants completely.
As a result, the vast majority of programs ended nationwide (shrinking from an estimated 772 programs in 1990 to only eight programs by 1997 (Robinson & English 2017). The programs that persisted and continue to emerge often do so without substantial resources.
Since the Second Chance Act of 2007, we have seen renewed interest in prison education and increasing support from philanthropic foundations and the Dept. of Education Second Chance Pell Pilot Program. In 2016, Second Chance Pell was created under the Obama administration and the experimental sites initiative at the Dept. of Ed. So far, 10,048 incarcerate students have received Federal Pell Grant funds from 64 institutions. In 2019, the Second Chance Pell Initiative was reauthorized for another 3-5 years and soon new colleges will be able to apply. However, pell grants for college in prison programs should not only be awarded in the experiment- Legislators should restore pell grant eligibility to all incarcerated students nationwide.
Current Opportunity:
In 2019, we have an opportunity to restore Pell grant access for incarcerated students through the REAL Act and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. While we are cautiously optimistic about this opportunity, we understand that advocates will have to overcome significant opposition and dehumanizing ideologies, relicts of the tough on crime era, that is still very much alive and well in the hearts and minds of many legislators and the general public. Despite some opposition, the REAL Act has bi-partisan support in both the house and the senate and pell restoration for people in prison was included in the House Higher Education Act Reauthorization bill named the College Affordability Act, which passed out of committee on December 10th, 2019. UHE advocates will continue to push for full pell restoration for all incarcerated people!