Increase Funding for Inmate Re-Education Programs

 

The purpose of this bill is to make it easier for inmates to get into education programs, so that after getting out from

behind bars, they can more easily integrate back into society and lower recidivism. This bill would affect all detention

centers in Minnesota and would apply to all eligible inmates, which is decided by the programs and prisons themselves.

It would also ultimately save money for the government by letting the ex-convicts recontribute to society by paying

taxes and working.

 

This bill would not only make released inmates' lives easier but also give them a chance to build a better life for

themselves after prison, with a 13% higher employment rate post-incarceration. Many inmates who participate in available

courses promote not only self-growth but also serve as role models in prison facilities for other inmates. In 2018, 41%

of inmates did not have a high school diploma or form of higher education, which is one of the programs they can take

while incarcerated. At the time of that statistic, only 6% of inmates in the U.S. were taking any college-level courses,

which is still accurate today. If we increase funding for these programs, it would make it easier for inmates to partake

in them, and have a chance for the government to save money from fewer incarcerations taking place, with a 48% lower

recidivism rate of people who partake in the programs.

 

Prison Education Program - is defined as an eligible educational program offered by an institution at a correctional

institution to students who are confined or incarcerated

Inmate - a person confined to an institution such as a prison or hospital

Incarceration - the state of being confined in prison; imprisonment

Recidivism - the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend

 

We would start with funding an extra 600 spots in trade company programs and an extra 200 undergraduate program spots,

which would be funded by current CTE grants and Pell grants already given by the government. In later years, we will

revisit to see progress and increase funding as needed.

 

For prison facilities that don’t meet an enrollment rate of at least 10% of eligible inmates participating in a program

or course, would face $75,000 reduction in funding. Furthermore, facilities that succeed in having an average student

GPA of 2.8 or higher will be awarded an additional $5,000 per enrolled inmate up to a maximum of $500,000.

 

Jan. 1st, 2027