Results

I. An overwhelming majority of adults in U.S. federal and state prisons will be released from prison within 5 years.

Figure 1: The Majority of Adults in Prison Will Be Released Within 5 Years

II. Regardless of time until reentry (≤ 5 years until release and > 5 years until release), individuals of color are statistically significantly overrepresented in federal and state prisons compared with white adults.

Figure 2: Regardless of Time Until Reentry, the Majority of Adults in Prison Are Individuals of Color

III. Table 1 below shows a breakdown of demographics in U.S. federal and state prisons based on years until release. Of particular interest, both half of the adults (56 percent) who will be released within 5 years and half of the adults (53 percent) who will be released in more than 5 years are academically eligible to enroll in a postsecondary program (highest level of education is a high school equivalence) during incarceration.

Table 1: Demographics of Incarcerated Adults in Prison Across a 5-Year Threshold

Policy Implications: If Congress stipulates that Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals may be reinstated only for those within 5 years of release, two-thirds of academically qualified adults in U.S. federal and state prisons with more than 5 years remaining to their sentence would be ineligible to receive a Pell Grant.

IV. Table 2 below shows a breakdown across key demographics of incarcerated adults who are academically eligible (highest level of education is a high school equivalence) but would be denied access to Pell Grants if a 5-year restriction is enforced on Pell eligibility for individuals in prison.

Table 2: Demographics of Incarcerated Adults Who Are Academically Eligible to Enroll in a College Program but Would Be Unable to Access Pell Grants

V. If the Pell ban were lifted for incarcerated adults but only for those eligible for release within 5 years, primarily younger men of color would be denied access to Pell Grants.

Figure 3: Primarily Younger Men of Color Would Be Ineligible for Pell Grants if a 5-Year Restriction is Enforced

Policy Implications: This would perpetuate inequities in access to higher education for individuals of color and further exacerbate the racial educational attainment gap. Furthermore, younger adults who are in the prime working-age population, ¹ who would benefit from earning a degree for career entry and professional advancement upon release, would be denied access to federal financial aid. While formerly incarcerated Black men are the least likely formerly incarcerated demographic to obtain employment upon release, ² further denying them access to financial aid to earn a postsecondary credential would exacerbate social and economic inequities within our nation.

Given the racial disparities in both imprisonment and sentencing within our nation, a 5-year restriction on Pell eligibility would disproportionately harm people of color, denying them access to continued education.

VI. Regardless of time to reentry, individuals enroll and complete postsecondary education programs at similar rates. Furthermore, both within and outside of a 5-year threshold to reentry, incarcerated adults are comparably interested in enrolling in a postsecondary program.

Figure 4: There is No Difference in Postsecondary Enrollment and Completion Rates, nor Interest in Higher Education, for Incarcerated Adults with Longer Sentences.

Policy Implications: The results of this analysis do not support legislative action that would limit Pell eligibility to individuals closer to release. The findings reveal that regardless of time to reentry, incarcerated adults are interested in, enroll in, and complete higher education at comparable rates.

“When you begin to exclude based on additional criteria, it creates conflict and resentment and you miss an opportunity to transform the culture of the prison. Prisons already are a culture of conflict, so why add more with a program that has the potential to have many great benefits.”

—college-in-prison facilitator, May 2019