Edolphus Towns: “I rise today to offer my support to the Wynn agreement to eliminate Pell grants for inmates by January 1, 1996. The…”

“I rise today to offer my support to the Wynn agreement to eliminate Pell grants for inmates by January 1, 1996. The facts are clear that rehabilitation of inmates occurs when Pell grants are used to pursue collegiate studies. The national recidivism rate is 50 to 70 percent. However, for prisoners with at least 2 years of schooling, that figure is just 10 percent. The average Pell grant is $1,500 whereas the cost to incarcerate a prisoner is $30,000. Less than one-half of 1 percent of the 4.5 million Pell grant recipients are inmates. If it can be documented that they provide redemptive benefits for the inmate population and the society as a whole, it would not only be a shame, but imprudent and irrational to eliminate Pell grants. The issues of incarceration, rehabilitation, and recidivism are interrelated. The likelihood that inmates will be successful after release from prison is directly tied to the policies applied while they are incarcerated. It is hard to get a job when you don't have any skills or education. We need to offer some opportunity for prisoners to better themselves so that they don't become repeat offenders. This amendment uses a very simple cost benefit analysis to determine whether Pell grants should be eliminated by 1996.”