Guest: To cut crime, reduce barriers to higher education in prison
Crime is an issue of concern for Oklahomans from all backgrounds, and they deserve to have their lawmakers use every proven tool to tackle it. A simple one — widening access to higher education for incarcerated students — can substantially cut their risk of re-offending. By passing Senate Bill 11, our legislators can protect communities and help more people build new lives at the same time.
As a prosecutor in small-town Texas, I had the opportunity to seek justice, affirm victims and protect communities from crime through my work on individual cases. I saw firsthand how many people get stuck in patterns of destructive behavior, leading to repeated involvement in the justice system. But I also saw when we provide people with better paths to rehabilitation and earned success, we can help them escape harmful patterns and thrive.
Now, as a legislative strategist for Prison Fellowship, I still work to further justice, but today I advocate for systemic changes with the potential to help many break out of the cycle. Active in Oklahoma correctional facilities throughout the state, Prison Fellowship equips men and women to replace cycles of brokenness and crime with productivity and purpose. I have the privilege of bringing biblical values, like a belief in the God-given dignity and potential of all people, into conversations on justice in the Oklahoma Legislature.
Oklahoma has made important strides toward a more restorative criminal justice system. In recent years, Gov. Kevin Stitt, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and state lawmakers have enacted critical policy changes to promote reentry success. Today, lawmakers have an opportunity to build on these efforts by removing barriers to higher education behind bars.
Many educational institutions in Oklahoma, including Oklahoma Christian University and Oklahoma Baptist University, already offer degree programs behind bars. These programs help equip incarcerated students for success when they return to the community. Research shows that people who pursue their education in prison are significantly less likely to commit another offense than those who don’t. Data also shows that education fosters a safer, more orderly correctional culture, helping wardens and correctional staff to make prisons into centers of rehabilitation. Yet, incarcerated students still can’t benefit from the Oklahoma Tuition Act Grant Program (OTAG), the state’s largest source of student financial aid. It’s counterproductive to prevent use of a proven tool for reducing crime and building up our state’s workforce.
SB 11, introduced by Sen. Dave Rader and Rep. Daniel Pae, would remove obstacles to OTAG financial aid for incarcerated students who otherwise qualify. If passed, this bill will permit Oklahoma colleges and universities to expand educational opportunities that are bringing hope into Oklahoma prisons. Following a 42-1 Senate vote in February, the Oklahoma House should take up this commonsense change.
Oklahoma can join more than 16 states that do not limit access to state financial aid for incarcerated students. In December 2020, with the support of the Trump administration and a broad coalition of civic and nonprofit organizations, Congress reinstated access to Pell Grants for students behind bars. While these federal dollars will be a meaningful step toward educational opportunity in prison, SB 11 will further broaden access to life-changing pathways here in Oklahoma.
Today’s incarcerated students can become tomorrow’s leaders — transforming their lives, families and communities for the better. Oklahoma lawmakers should send SB 11 to the governor’s desk and use a proven tool for reducing crime, growing the workforce and changing lives.
Sarah Decker serves as Prison Fellowship’s legislative strategist for Oklahoma.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: To cut crime, reduce barriers to higher education in prison
