The Education Department and Justice Department on Friday are expected to announce a pilot program giving some prisoners access to federal Pell grants. The aim is to test how effective correctional education programs can be in breaking the cycle of repeat offenders.
Congress banned prisoners from being eligible for Pell grants in 1994. Since then, the prison population has grown significantly to 1.6 million nationwide, and calls for reform are coming from President Obama -- who recently became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison -- as well as members of both parties.
The administration can't lift the ban on Pell grants without Congressional approval, but the Education Department can use its authority to temporarily run a pilot program.
