A very interesting letter arrived in the ACHE mail box yesterday. And I don't mean our e-mail inbox. It was a hand written letter from a prison inmate in Michigan asking how he might go about finding a degree program and student financial aid so he could complete a Bachelor's Degree while behind bars.
I spent some time last night doing what he would not be able to. I got on the internet and started researching his question. I also sent a query to the Michigan Department of Corrections asking if inmates there have access to computers (not the internet; inmates are never allowed internet access). The reason for my question is this: increasingly, distance learning programs are almost exclusively offered online. Some offer courses through CD-ROM. But very few offer correspondence courses in the old way: paper-based via surface mail. And those colleges and universities that do offer correspondence courses are even more rarely offering full degree programs.
The response I received from the Michigan Department of Corrections was brief: Prisoners do not have computer access.
As to the issue of student financial aid, I discovered that while inmates are eligible to submit FAFSAs, they are not eligible to recieve Pell Grants. I would be curious to know, then, what other student aid might be available.
I will be gathering what information I can find out for this young man and mailing it back to him soon. Hopefully I will find out something that will help him move forward with the education he seeks.
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In reviewing your post, I remembered a tv show I saw a few years ago about education for inmates (possibly on PBS). The show talked about inmates either continuing their education or earning an associates degree through an extension program administered by a local educational institution.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps in your search and the inmate's quest for higher learning.