Should NYS pay for college courses in prison? State to Pay Colleges for Prison C

Question

Should NYS pay for college courses in prison?

State to Pay Colleges for Prison Courses By JESSE McKINLEY they are largely funded by private Prisoners in the program could ALBANY-Moving ahead with sources. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat conceivably qualify for bachelor's a plan that has drawn criticism in his second term who is said to or associate's degrees, though from conservatives, the adminis- have presidential ambitions, has .many inmates with long sen- tration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo been eager to expand educational tences would not be eligible. Only warding more than $7 millionprograms in prisons, saying that in grants to a variety of colleges only about 1,000 inmates currently around the state to offer courses take college-level classes to prisoners. inmates with five years or less re- maining on their sentences will be allowed to take classes Under Mr. Cuomo's plan, that The courses will begin in Sep- The plan, first announced in number would more than triple, tember and will be held in cláss- January last year, is the culmina- with seven colleges and universi- room settings at the 17 prisons, ad tion of an effort that began in 2014. ties offering classes in 17 state ministration officials said. Th but was attacked by Republicans prisons (though not at Attica Cor- curriculum will cover a wide and others in the state who ob- rectional Facility, which currently range of subjects, including soi ected to using public money to has a small number of inmates ta- ence, mathematics, social sci help convicted criminals, an idea king college courses). erices and philosophy. that was derided as "Attica Uni Those colleges include an Ivy The prison education plan League institution Cornell Uni: comes several months after an versity On Sunday, Cuomo administra- versity- whose faculty members other significant change in the will teach at four upstate prisons, state's criminal justice system: In tion officials sought to mitigate concerns, reiterating that the as well as New York University, April, the governor and the Legis- grant program- which creates whose instructors will travel to lature agreed to raise the age of classes for about 2,500 inmates - will be financed with money Wallkill Correctional Facility, a criminal responsibility to 18 years from medium-security prison in the . old , from 16, following the ap- proach of almost every other Hudson Valley large bank settlements secured by Mercy College will serve Sing state. Sing, the famed maximum-securi- In a statement, the governor ty institution in Ossining, while said he believed that his college teachers from Medaille College plan would help prevent inmates will instruct at Albion Correc- from feeling they have few alter- tional Facility the Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., rather than general state funds In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Vance said that such classes were part of a "public safety strategy natives to a life of crime. Two State University of New "Incarceration is supposed to to reduce recidivism, calling that York community colleges - Mo- be about rehabilitating th hawk Valley Community College may have: lost their way in the ose who And it's time that we get back to embrac oal the "first premise of penal law" Inmates in New York are al- and Jefferson Community College past," Mr. Çuomo said. ready eligible for classes in about half of the state's 54 prisons, but have also been selected to par- ticipate ing that principlé as a society"

Explanation / Answer

Answer: Yes the NSY should pay for the education program of the prisoners as it will help them in settling their lives after they complete the sentence. The basic purpose of imprisonment is to improve the prisoners and this program will definitely help them to get into the mainstream after they leave the prison. This strategy is a public safety strategy which is also advocated by the penal laws. The prisoners after they leave the prison should be transformed so that they do not take their old ways. Providing them with higher education will certainly help them to improve their lives and enter the mainstream after they leave the prison rather than taking to crimes. This strategy will definitely help them with an option to improve and hence it should be implemented. By doing so the public money will be invested in public safety and bringing improvement in the society.

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