Jose Catalan, who is currently incarcerated, poses for photos after his graduation ceremony at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, Calif. on May 25, 2023. Catalan earned his bachelor’s degree in communications through the Transforming Outcomes Project at Sacramento State. JAE C. HONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Jamiles Lartey, The Marshall Project, July 8, 2023
Education has been Sheron Edwards’ escape during his more than 20 years in state and federal prison. He’s earned certifications from three college programs, taught GED and English as a second language classes, written an autobiography, and become a personal trainer.
“It made me feel amazing … to start learning and become a scholar because I think it's a lifelong journey,” Edwards told me by phone from Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility in Mississippi, where he’s incarcerated for armed robbery.
For all of the accomplishments Edwards has racked up, one has eluded him so far: A college degree. He could be on his way soon, however, thanks to a recent change in federal law. As of July 1, most people in prisons — though not in jails or detention centers — are now eligible to receive Pell Grant student aid, for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Associated Press reports that the change will give an additional 30,000 students behind bars access to some $130 million in financial aid per year. In all, 760,000 incarcerated people could be newly eligible for aid according to the Department of Education, though many prisons don’t yet have capacity or higher education partners.
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