September 25, 2015
In
an action related to the America’s College Promise initiative, the president is
fulfilling his intention to make applying for federal aid more convenient. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) schedule has been altered to give students more time to gather the information
needed to make wise college enrollment decisions.
The
new FAFSA schedule enables many students and their parents to fill out the
FAFSA form earlier than they previously could. Beginning Oct. 1, 2016, students
and families will be able to complete the form for the 2017–18 academic year at
the same time they fill out their college applications. (Previously, the FAFSA
became available each year on Jan. 1.) To
facilitate this change, students and their families will be able to use their
previous year’s tax return (for example, from 2015) when applying for financial
aid, rather than being required to wait to submit the FAFSA application until
after they have completed the current year’s return (for example, for 2016).
This in turn will enable colleges to send out financial aid notifications
earlier, and students to have more time to make informed decisions about their
college choices.
Jobs for the Future (JFF) recently released
a brief on previously incarcerated individuals, Supporting Second Chances: Education and Employment Strategies for People
Returning from Correctional Facilities. It includes
background data on the state of the reentry problem, examples of reentry programs
that have demonstrated positive results, and recommended changes shown to
benefit the employment and educational opportunities of former inmates.
The brief
indicates that over 2 million individuals are incarcerated on any given day in the United States,
with over 700,000 people transitioning out of state and federal correctional
facilities each year. These numbers demonstrate the urgent need to increase
help for youths and adults involved in the criminal justice system that will
allow them to reintegrate into their communities and become productive members
of society. Research shows that “full-time employment is one of the primary
predictors of their success,” according to the brief. It also provides details on strategies for
increasing education and employment pathways, and identifies specific policy
and program priorities that would improve the capacity of former inmates to
connect with these pathways in order to transition efficiently.
To illustrate the benefits of reentry
programs, the brief
highlights efforts being carried out in Colorado. This state’s reentry
specialists focus on the most important and immediate needs of recently
released inmates — such as housing, food, and employment — and they typically
see the inmates through the first three to six months of their transition.
According to the brief, Colorado “also encourages cross-training with local
service providers, such as faith- and community-based organizations and county
agencies, so that everyone can work together to support ex-offenders.
Wraparound support services are provided as much as possible.” Additionally,
the brief explains that reentry specialists in the state “partner with
workforce centers and use labor market information to identify the best job
opportunities and employers.”
The brief indicates that at the federal level,
the administration is making efforts to increase second chances for formerly
incarcerated individuals by pushing for criminal justice reform that would
“reduce the harsh sentences for nonviolent offenders incarcerated under
‘mandatory minimum’ drug laws and make it easier for former inmates to
transition smoothly back to their communities.” To that end, on July 31, 2015,
the administration announced plans for a pilot program to make federal Pell
Grants available to help inmates attend college while incarcerated.
The brief also outlines barriers to employment
for individuals with criminal records — whether or not they have been
incarcerated — and gives potential policy solutions. The brief states that 70
million people in the U.S. have some type of a criminal record and that, in
fact, “men with criminal records account for more than one-third of all
nonworking men between the ages of 25 and 54.” While it is known that
employment is crucial to staying out of the criminal justice system, “extensive
research has shown that finding a job is all too difficult for many people with
records," the report indicates.
In an effort to alleviate employment barriers,
a growing number of cities and states are implementing Ban the Box legislation, which forbids employers
and state agencies from asking job applicants to check a box if they have been convicted
of a crime. To date, the brief states, “sixteen states and over 100 cities and
counties have implemented these policies and legislation, and advocates are
continuing to spread fair chance hiring practices around the country.”
The brief indicates that “advocates for
ex-offenders say this step is essential to ensuring that these individuals have
a chance to reintegrate into society, because many employers otherwise would
reject such job candidates out of hand.”
Similarly, the brief notes that there is
growing interest in removing the question from college applications. According to a statement in the brief by
David Domenici, executive director of the Center for Educational Excellence in
Alternative Settings in Washington, D.C., “Sixty-six percent of people who had
a criminal conviction quit the Common Application process at the moment they
hit that box.”
The brief concludes with a discussion of the
critical need to focus on programs for juvenile offenders. It states that over
“70,000 juvenile offenders are held in residential placement, such as juvenile
detention and correction facilities. Almost all will get out and need further
education and training in order to find a job. Many will need other supports to
help stabilize their lives, as well.”
The brief notes the challenges to serve these
youths in juvenile facilities since they are highly transient and have varied
educational and emotional needs. Many
have learning disabilities, multiple emotional difficulties, a history of drug
use, a past suicide attempt, and/or weak academic skills.
Unfortunately, as the brief indicates,
“[t]here is little large-scale research on the most effective strategies for
helping juvenile offenders return to school and reintegrate into their
communities.” The law requires juvenile facilities to provide education, but
little is known about the characteristics of a quality program — one that
lowers the risk of committing crimes in the future and increases the chance of
finding stable work at a living wage. Preparing juvenile offenders for the
workforce is an essential part of their education, according to Executive
Director Domenici.
The full report provides more information on
education and employment strategies for returning offenders, including the work
in Colorado; Ban the Box legislation; and education and employment strategies
for juvenile offenders.
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