Should prisoners have access to a college education?

It may soon be easier for prisoners to earn a college degree.

In 1994, a federal law was passed that prohibited prisoners at state and federal facilities from receiving Pell grants — a form of government financial aid for low-income students.

This summer, however, the Obama administration announced a pilot program that would temporarily waive that rule as part of an experiment.

As the Wall Street Journal reported, "under the plan, a limited number of colleges would deliver courses at prisons, potentially helping thousands of prisoners, while providing data on recidivism."

Lois Davis, a senior policy researcher for the RAND Corporation, has already completed research of her own. In a report published by RAND, titled "How Effective is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here?," the impact is clear.

Every year, the report states, 700,000 individuals are released from federal and state prisons. Within three years, 40 percent will be back behind bars. College courses could change that.

"If an individual participates in a post-secondary or college program, their risk of recidivating is 60 percentage points lower than those who do not participate," Davis said. "That's a huge, huge difference."

Davis and Fred Patrick, the Director for the Center on Sentencing and Corrections at the Vera Institute, joined MPR News' Kerri Miller to discuss the feasibility and outcomes of college programming for prison inmates.

So what are the barriers to something that has proven effective in reducing recidivism?

Some object to the idea of inmates earning college degrees, saying there are too many non-offenders without access to college courses.

"The fallacy of that argument is the notion that incarcerated Johnny is depriving the non-incarcerated Johnny from getting a Pell grant," Patrick said. "The fact is that Pell grants are entitlement based. If you are low-income and eligible, you receive it. There's never been a year in which an eligible person was denied it."

And while spending tax dollars on education for inmates gives some pause, Davis stressed the fact that it saves money over time. In 2013, the estimated education cost per prisoner was between $1,300 and $1,700 per year. In Minnesota, incarceration costs are approximately $40,000 per prisoner per year.

"We estimated for every dollar spent on prison education programs, it saves taxpayers on average about $5 in incarceration costs," Davis said.

Funding education programs in prisons puts the focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment; something Davis said was critical.

"It's important for people to understand that when we send people to prison, they don't stay there forever. 95 percent of individuals eventually come back to your community," she said. "Part of it is thinking about: What do we ultimately want them to do when they come out?"

One caller, Mark from St. Paul, is a living example of prison education programs in action. He finished mandatory GED courses while incarcerated for drug offenses in St. Cloud, Minn.

"Before I got my GED I had every intention upon my release to go back to the same lifestyle I was living," he said. But after taking the test, he began to think about furthering his education. "Here I am 5 years later, and I'll be graduating with a bachelor's of science in mechanical engineering come next fall. I'm a contributing member of society now."

He is currently enrolled at the University of St. Thomas, paying his way through a mix of student loans and scholarships.

The GED program that inspired Mark isn't what's at the center of the prison education controversy, however. What has many people upset is specifically the funding for college courses.

Patrick said this speaks to the greater issue of college affordability, rather than to prisoners' access to education.

"It should be a larger discussion about college affordability, in general," Patrick said. "We don't have to demonize or limit a particular group because we're concerned about affordability in general."

To hear the full discussion on funding college courses for prison inmates — including a discussion about the obstacles felons face finding employment — use the audio player above.