At a time when ordinary New Yorkers are accumulating mountains of student-loan debt to finance their college educations, should taxpayers be funding degrees for free for prison inmates?
Gov. Cuomo says yes. If more prisoners went to college, he says, New Yorkers would see less crime and more savings.
Since 2008, a privately funded initiative by Bard College has provided degree programs for 530 inmates at a half-dozen medium- and maximum-security state prisons. Bard says the recidivism rate among its graduates is just 4 percent — one-tenth the rate of the general prison population.
That, Cuomo insists, can translate into tremendous savings when you weigh the $5,000 a year it costs to educate an inmate against the $60,000 to keep him incarcerated. Accordingly, the governor proposes to expand the program to 10 prisons, enlisting other universities and educational groups, with the state picking up the tab.
How much will this cost taxpayers? The governor’s office isn’t saying. How many people will take part in the program and who will be eligible? That awaits a formal RFP (request for proposals).
We’re intrigued by the idea, notwithstanding that many who haven’t broken the law and are struggling to pay for college will understandably resent such largesse for criminals. We’re also not sure the numbers are as scalable as the governor seems to assume. Just calling it an “investment” doesn’t mean it will pay off.
In cases like this, the devil is always in the details, and the details here are almost nonexistent. We hope the Legislature demands specifics — e.g., accountability measures for results — before giving any OK.
And why does it have to be government at all? By all means, give prisoners a better shot at a productive life after they’ve served their time. But we’d prefer creative incentives that would encourage the colleges and foundations to take this on, instead of piling it on Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.