Pell Grants are for students who can't afford college. In the 1990's, America cracked down on crime, and President Bill Clinton signed a ban on Pell Grants for inmates in federal and state prisons. Now President Obama plans to lift the ban — which he's allowed to do in the interests of gathering data. But the data is already in. With education, former prisoners do better on the outside; they're less likely to be imprisoned again, and that saves taxpayer money. Opponents say students who've never committed crimes are more deserving and they accused Obama of thumbing his nose at Congress.
Pell Grants for Prisoners?
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Credits
Guests:
- Josh Mitchell - Wall Street Journal - @JMitchellWSJ
- Vivian Nixon - College and Community Fellowship - @ccf_ny
- Roger Pilon - Cato Institute - @roger_pilon
- Lois Davis - RAND Corporation - @LoisMDavis