The Students in jail can now avail the Pell Grant Student Aid, if they are eligible, for the first time after 30 years.
Starting July, there was a recent revision in the federal law.
Most people in prisons, as of July 1, are eligible to to become recipients of Pell Grant student aid.
Based on the report of the 1994 Crime Bill, the 30,000 students behind bars can access $130 million per year for financial aid.
This is the first ever to happen after 30 years.
(PHOTO: The Marshall Project)
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The Importance Of Pell Grants
People in jail are usually coming from poor socioeconomic family backgrounds. Pell Grants is a need-based federal grants that is very important for people wishing to pursue higher education but do not have enough resources.
The Pell Grants had been closed for incarcerated students under the 1994 Crime Bill but in 2015 under Obama administration, a pilot program had been launched that involved 141 eligible correctional facilities across the country.
The number of the beneficiaries of the program became 200 later that federal officials officially open the Pell Grants to students in jail.
The Pell Grant was designed and run by colleges and universities. Students are taught in person and must stick to certain rules as provided by the school where they were enrolled.
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