Providing a Free College Education to Prisoners

The prison has been found to have several flaws, main of which is that it does little or nothing in the rehabilitation of prisoners; this has generated a need for the provision of free college education to prisoners despite the contrasting arguments that this idea has raised. Some of the arguments that have been raised support the idea while others have been found to discourage the provision of free college education. However, the position of this paper is that there are more benefits resulting from the introduction of college education in colleges in comparison to other options. The current prison system has been defined as a failed system. This is because the system does not achieve its core aim, which is the rehabilitation of the criminals who enter through its doors. The introduction of free education may have several disadvantages, but when the positive results are considered, it is clear to see the general benefits that are to be accrued.

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The first advantage of the introduction of free college in prison is that it is cost effective. The cost effectiveness of the introduction of college education is determined once the prisoners are released. It has been determined on regular occasions that the educated ex convicted provides their society with better contribution in comparison to those who are not educated (Knefel 21). Therefore, the cost of introducing free education would be covered by the value brought about to the society by the convict. The convict also stands a lesser chance of recidivism. This increases the costs incurred in the process of litigation. An increase in court cases reduces the amount of money that is used in development (Knefel 22). Therefore, more money, investments, and infrastructure will be used in the provision of services that are not advantageous to the society at large. The introduction of college education will help reduce this occurrence.

The introduction of college education has also been found to help in the reduction of crime in the society. The college educated inmate is more likely to influence his peers in a positive way. The educated criminal is also more likely to have a lower chance of recidivism that results from the commitment of more crime. The reduction of crime resulting from college educating the prisoners is important because it provides the prisoners with an opportunity to participate in more productive activities in comparison to destructive ones (Rose, Kristin, and Chris 25). This has been identified as being advantageous in that it increases the security and peace in the locations where these individuals would have originally been involved in crime. The solution to prevent the increase in crime in the society is to provide the inmates with college education. Once educated, these individuals help in the introduction of new businesses in their community which in turn reduce the aforementioned crime.

The introduction of college education in prison has also been found to reduce the countrys overall illiteracy levels. The level of illiteracy is directly attributed to societal problems such as low employment levels and reduced health quality. The capacity of a society to remain healthy for a long period of time is instrumental in ensuring that the society continues to thrive in opposition to an increase in societal problems. With regards to health, a society that does not have the appropriate education levels to become aware of health matters is at a higher risk of increasing its health problems (Delaere et al. 17). An illiterate society is also considered ignorant with regards to the aforementioned issues. Educating prisoners reduces levels of ignorance in the society by identifying and educating some of the least educated individuals in the society. The individuals mostly involved in crime are often the least educated. Educating these individuals will directly reduce the rate of illiteracy in the country.

The introduction of college education is also a way of providing jobs to the originally educated convicts. Some of the convicts have been provided with long sentences. When such individuals are educated, they become an important part of the prison system. They are now able to impart this knowledge to those who are new into the system. Prisoners with long term sentences are more likely to be more productive and of positive influence if they offer a form of service to their fellow inmates (Cowan 12). This means that the process of teaching fellow inmates will provide them with a core purpose. While such individuals may not have a chance to join the general public, they will have a purpose while in prison. This increases the rehabilitation value of the prison system. It also increases the possibility that more inmates will truly turn over a new leaf following the intervention of the teachers cited.

Despite the advantages mentioned, it has also been argued that the introduction of college education has its own fair share of disadvantages. For instance, it is commonly argued that the cost of implementing this idea would be too expensive for the government. The cost is calculated in terms of the materials to be used as well as the recurrent expenditure associated with it (Skotnicki 26). The materials involved would be the books as well as the desks and chairs for all the prisoners who will participate in the program. The recurrent expenditure on the other hand would be the salaries that the lecturers and other support staff would expect in return for the project. The difficulty of determining the value of this project is the lack of a means to determine the return on value. This has made many critics skeptical of the idea. The lack of a means to measure the return on investment has deterred many from supporting the idea.

It has also been argued that the introduction of college education in prison will only help to breed smart criminals. This type of criminal would be difficult to apprehend. The educated criminal is also more effective in implementing their heists and any other form of crime. The main problem with such individuals is that they have more skills and place more forethought before implementing a crime (Delaere 20). This serves to beat the logic behind the implementation of the idea to educate more people while in prison. While this is a real possibility, it has also been found that there lies little or no chance of such event happening on a consistent basis.

This paper has determined that there is a better chance of increasing the rehabilitation value of a prison by introducing free college education in prison. While there are legitimate arguments against the implementation of the idea, the positives far outweigh the negatives. It has also been found that the introduction of college education is beneficial to the whole society. The society benefits in several ways which includes a reduction in crime as well as the introduction of more man power that can help in the growth of the society in question. Therefore, it is far more important to introduce such a system in prison as the benefits outweigh the negative results.

Works Cited

Cowan, Robert. "Prisoner's Dilemma." Commonweal 142.5 (2015): 12-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Delaere, Giovanni, Sophie De Caluwe, and Geraldine Clarebout. "Prison Education And Breaking Through The Walls In Flanders: The Motivational Orientations Of Long-Term Prisoners." Journal Of Correctional Education64.3 (2013): 2-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Knefel, Molly. "Incarceration Vs. Education." Nation 300.19 (2015): 20-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Rose, Kristin, and Chris Rose. "Enrolling In College While In Prison: Factors That Promote Male And Female Prisoners To Participate." Journal Of Correctional Education 65.2 (2014): 20-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Skotnicki, Andrew. "The Prison Class." America 210.8 (2014): 26-28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.