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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Governor and the members of the General
3Assembly seek to reduce the number of prisoners incarcerated in
4penal facilities of the Illinois Department of Corrections; and
 
5    WHEREAS, A significant reduction in the prison population
6cannot be achieved without a significant reduction in the
7recidivism rate; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The General Assembly has begun to revisit and
9review some of the outdated policies that trap people with
10criminal convictions at the margins of society and drive many
11of them back to jail by denying them jobs, housing, and
12education; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education
14recently announced a Second Chance Pell Pilot Program to test
15new models to allow incarcerated Americans to receive Pell
16Grants and pursue post-secondary education with the goal of
17helping them turn their lives around and ultimately get jobs,
18support their families, and stay out of trouble; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Through this pilot program, incarcerated
20individuals who otherwise meet Title IV eligibility
21requirements and are eligible for release, particularly within

 

 

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1the next 5 years, could access Pell Grants to pursue
2post-secondary education and training; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Pell Grants acquired through this pilot
4program can only be used to pay for tuition, fees, books, and
5supplies required by an individual's education program; and
 
6    WHEREAS, A 2013 Department of Justice-funded study from the
7RAND Corporation found that incarcerated individuals who
8participated in correctional education were 43% less likely to
9return to prison within 3 years than prisoners who didn't
10participate in correctional education programs; the
11researchers involved in the RAND study estimated that, for
12every dollar invested in correctional education programs, four
13to five dollars are saved on 3-year re-incarceration costs; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The deadline for post-secondary institutions to
15apply for this pilot program for the 2016-2017 academic year is
16September 31, 2015; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
19urge the Illinois Department of Corrections to collaborate with
20one or more institutions of higher learning in the submission
21of an application for the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program; and
22be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2delivered to the Director of the Illinois Department of
3Corrections.