TRENTON — With a bill that cleared the state Senate on Monday, state prisoners are one step closer to being able to receive state financial aid to continue their education — a move that advocates and supporters say will reduce recidivism and save taxpayer money.
The bill,
S-2055, would eliminate a state law that bars prisoners from receiving
state grants and scholarships, according to a news release from state
Senate Democrats.
Instead, prisoners would have to abide by the same regulations as any other applicants, according to the release, in addition to being a state resident for at least a year prior to their incarceration date, a state-sentenced inmate, and they must receive approval from the Department of Corrections to enroll.
Instead, prisoners would have to abide by the same regulations as any other applicants, according to the release, in addition to being a state resident for at least a year prior to their incarceration date, a state-sentenced inmate, and they must receive approval from the Department of Corrections to enroll.
“Higher
education is one of the most powerful deterrents to crime and
recidivism, and the most effective way to break the cycle of poverty,”
said Sen. Cunningham, D-Hudson, who sponsored the bill and chairs the
Senate Higher Education Committee. “Recent studies show that for every
one dollar invested in correctional education programs, it resulted in a
$4 to $5 dollar reduction in state incarceration costs during the first
three years of a prisoner’s release.”
Sponsors of the bill cited the $54,865 per inmate per year cost as of 2014, as well as the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons Consortium, NJ-STEP, which currently provides 550 prisoners with higher education courses through colleges and universities, including Cumberland County College.
Sponsors of the bill cited the $54,865 per inmate per year cost as of 2014, as well as the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons Consortium, NJ-STEP, which currently provides 550 prisoners with higher education courses through colleges and universities, including Cumberland County College.
“Offering
inmates the opportunity and the means to pursue higher education while
in prison can be life-changing,” Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, said.
“Creating this avenue for educational growth will help inmates find jobs
and return to normalcy upon their release, reducing the likelihood that
they return to prison.”
The bill cleared by a vote of 26-10, but is in committee and hasn’t been voted on by the full Assembly.
https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/state-prisoners-one-step-closer-to-state-financial-aid/article_af81276e-42fb-5e51-99a1-e9468cc54947.html
https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/state-prisoners-one-step-closer-to-state-financial-aid/article_af81276e-42fb-5e51-99a1-e9468cc54947.html
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