Jack Brooks: “I applaud the apparent goal of the gentleman from New Jersey to insure that Federal prisoners do attain a high school…”

“I applaud the apparent goal of the gentleman from New Jersey to insure that Federal prisoners do attain a high school education. We all agree on that. But I want to review the facts. Since 1981, all Federal prisoners who do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent have been and continue to be required by the Bureau of Prisons to enroll in a literacy program for 120 days already. And if a prisoner has a documented disability precluding educational participation or progress, then a warden can waive the mandatory education requirement for that individual with no penalties. That is as it should be. I think there is now room to consider all this in the amendment, we certainly will review it carefully during conference. The bureau's existing mandatory education system is an undisputed, proven success. In fiscal year 1993, 12,447 inmates were newly enrolled in the GED classes; 33,419 were enrolled in adult continuing education classes. I think this is useful. Now, we really do not want to create a system where white-collar criminals can accrue good time, and poor, uneducated white or minorities cannot.”