Gov. Cuomo on Sunday proposed a new state program that will allow criminals to take college courses and earn a degree while behind bars — to help them succeed and reduce the chances they end up back in the slammer.
The governor said the Prison U. program will not only help make convicted felons productive citizens upon release, it will also save taxpayers millions of dollars because it’s much cheaper to educate people than to incarcerate them.
“Giving men and women in prison the opportunity to earn a college degree costs our state less and benefits our society more,” Cuomo said.
New York spends $60,000 a year for each inmate in prison and the recidivism rate is 40 percent, the governor said. The state spends $3.6 billion to run the prison system.
By comparison, it would cost $5,000 per year to educate an inmate.
“Existing programs show that providing a college education in our prisons is much cheaper for the state and delivers far better results. Someone who leaves prison with a college degree has a real shot at a second lease in life because their education gives them the opportunity to get a job and avoid falling back into a cycle of crime,” he said.
Cuomo made the announcement during the New York Legislature’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus annual weekend conference in Albany. The minority caucus has long advocated for programs to help inmates re-integrate back into society so they don’t end up unemployed.
About half the state prison population is black and about one-quarter is both Hispanic and white.
Cuomo’s office did not specify the price tag for the program. But sources said he would make a “substantial investment” when he amends his budget plan.
The college courses will be offered at 10 state prisons and offer both associate and bachelor’s degrees. Inmates are expected to earn the degree in two-and-a-half to three years.
Currently, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Services uses private funds to provide some college courses for inmates, but the state will request proposals for colleges to offer the prison classes.
Brooklyn Assemblyman Karim Camara praised the initiative as a “progressive investment in the future — one that will help families stay together and strengthen our communities, while also reducing the cost and size of the prison system.”