Reference no: EM133650792

Question:

States have limited funds & annually must decide their budget funding for the next fiscal year which has to support many different interests & serve the public best. The majority of most state's budget goes to 2 large categories: education (ex. K-12, colleges & universities) & corrections (FDOC to house & care for inmates). Below is just an example of some major categories that are funding by state taxes:

• education
• medical programs (ex. Medicaid - community & nursing home patients)
• the environment (ex. water quality)
• transportation & infrastructure (ex. state roads, bridges, etc.)
• the court system
• public safety (ex. state police agencies, state crime lab, cybersecurity, etc.)
• children's programs (ex. DCF, foster care, services for children who are abused & neglected)
• care for the elderly, disabled & working poor

With this is mind, answer the question below based on these facts.

• the average inmate has an 8th grade education/reading level
• There are GED programs in every prison & some inmates choose to get their GED while incarcerated
• most inmates work while incarcerated at the prison or do work release
• released inmates are bonded & employers get tax breaks for hiring them so they have job opportunities once released & job placement services & support
• the more college-educated inmates mean more competition in the workplace for regular college graduates who paid or took out loans for their education

(A) Should inmates be entitled to vocational training only (ex., trades that pay very well & do not require a college degree)?

(B) Should inmates be entitled to college classes while incarcerated, which takes tax dollars away from other educational funding &/or other program funding like those listed above?

(B) Debate the positive & negative impacts on the inmate & society by having these prison educational programs in place.