Prisoners In Prison

College is a place where students who have successfully completed high school go to extend their knowledge and eventually earn a degree. College is only available to deserving, well-rounded, and deserving students. Once a student proves he or she is worthy of a college education, he or she spends thousands of dollars each year to earn a degree. So is someone who is in prison because and committed illegal acts a deserving, well-rounded, and dedicated student? That person is in jail as a punishment, giving that prisoner a free college education would be giving him or her a reward that he or she does not deserve. We should never reward someone who likes to deal drugs, steal, or perform any type of crime. Prisoners in jail should not receive a …show more content…
They argue that only a few more dollars will not add a noticeable amount of money to the taxpayers. They believe that it is important that everyone has the opportunity to be given an education, no matter what the cost. Critics also argue that paying for an inmates college education will cost less in the end than paying for them to serve another sentence if they are released and then commit another crime. People look at Vera’s study of the Price of Prisoners and argue that the total taxpayer cost is only $58,065 dollars in the state of North Dakota, which includes education costs. However, states such as California for example, pay $7,932,388 dollars including education cost. Seven million dollars spent on prisoners is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on criminals who do not deserve …show more content…
Critics argue that prison should not be seen just as a place of punishment, but as a place where one can receive the help he or she needs. Individual help can vary from giving someone medications, having one participate in therapy, or some people believe providing them with an education will provide the help the prisoner needs. It was believed that when education was first introduced, it was the most important tool for successful rehabilitation (Gehring 46). Though it is thought some prisoners may benefit mentally from a free college education, it is possible there may be negative outcomes. For example, the knowledge someone has access to while in prison may be used to create and plan more elaborate crimes when that prisoner is released from prison. Based on the percentage of recidivism, it is more likely that the knowledge a prisoner gains while incarcerated will be used to commit a more elaborate and planned