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| Letter: Education can break Illinois' cycle of recidivism |
| By chicagotribune.com |
| Published: 03/23/2017 |
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The current rate of recidivism in Illinois and the lack of attention being paid to it are unacceptable. It is similar to what we called the “revolving door” in higher education in the ’70s. We congratulated ourselves for opening the doors to colleges and universities for populations who were traditionally underserved and denied access. What we too often forgot was to create support systems to ensure that these individuals had the support required to succeed. When Illinois cuts funding for support systems within its prison system, as Ron Berler mentioned in his op-ed, it is almost ensuring that when inmates are released following their time, they will return thus creating a revolving door. Indeed, a study by the Rand Corp. found that when prisoners took classes they were 43 percent less likely to relapse. Last July, when the Second Chance Pell Grant pilot was initiated, several states expanded their college programming for prisoners, including two Illinois institutions. But there should have been more. Every dollar we invest in prison education reduces incarceration costs by $4 to $5, according to Rand Corp. Wouldn’t that be an opportunity for this state to make a difference? Read More. |
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