Repeal Section 20411 of the Crime Control Act of 1994, and provide Pell Grants to all eligible prisoners in the US.

In 1994, former President Bill Clinton signed into law the Crime Control Act which, among other things, prohibited prisoners from receiving financial aid for post-secondary education while in prison. Congressional opposition to prisoner Pell grants relied on the idea that law-abiding citizens would be harmed, but the numbers prove this is not the case. According to Celia Chazelle, co-founder of the Center for Prison Outreach and Education , non-prison students only received $5 more because prisoners couldn't receive an education at all (“How to Cut the Deficit: Increase Prison Education Programs,” 2011). Multiple studies also confirm that prisoner Pell Grants are effective at reducing crime. With an education, prisoners can free themselves from poverty and make a good social contribution.