Go Directly to Jail, Collect Free Education Worth Thousands

http://tribwxin.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/prisoncolleges.jpg%3Fw%3D600Recently, Governor Cuomo said the state will announce they will start on funding college classes for prisons again in hopes of cutting down on recidivism (crime) rates. That's $5,000 of your taxes going for an inmates FREE college education, while you or someone you know is already paying thousands of dollars for your college education or for a loved one. Between tuition and transportation, clothes and food, textbooks and school supplies, and also depending on which college you go to, it is very expensive now-a-days. I am currently a college student taking some time off to find a job and make money so I can pay for college myself, since money is tight as it is for my parents. That is why I find it very unfair that the hard-working citizens of New York have to pay thousands of dollars for a college education, while having to pay an extra $5,000 for a college education that themselves or loved one isn't even using, let alone for a prison inmate to get the same education but for free. If the taxpayers of New York have to pay $5,000 each for someone else's education, why won't it be towards the ones who can actually put it into good use? For example: those who need student loans or financial aid, putting the funds back into public schools, and to help those with a bit of money who are in debt because of owing colleges. I have read in a few articles that with funding these classes for prisons, like Bard Prison Initiative, a small program providing college classes to inmates and is privately funded, the recidivism rates were at a 4% rate compared to the 40% rate statewide. Although that is very good, it still does not excuse the fact that inmates are getting a free college education while those who are not incarcerated are struggling to pay thousands for theirs. As mentioned in an article by the Daily News, Cuomo stated, “Someone who leaves prison with a college degree has a real shot at a second lease on life because their education gives them the opportunity to get a job and avoid falling back into a cycle of crime.” That is true but not for all incarcerated individuals, only the ones who actually want to change their lifes around and go down the right path. If Governor Cuomo wants to fund education to reduce the crimes of tomorrow, he needs to put the funds into the children and young adults of today. That's because putting education where it really needs to be put can prevent them from falling into a cycle of crime, landing themselves in prison. The future of America, in all forms, relies on the hands of the young generation in today's society. Don't let Governor Cuomo tell you who really needs the education funds.