Should Prisoners get Free College Education - Essay Example

However, many prisoners are enjoying free college education, along with other social amenities. This is considered as giving the inmates too many privileges. Prisoners should not be made so comfortable that they forget the core reason of them being in prison. They should work to earn a living just like everyone else (Salsbury 1). A free college education is a privilege they should not be entitled to because many other people who are not in prison are not entitled to free college education. This essay will argue about the negative side of offering college education to prisoners (Chaneles 1).

Tax payers’ money is used to finance the convict education and other services they receive. This is unfair to the innocent citizen because the money paid as tax should be used to improve the tax payers’ life. The value of college education is the achievement of skills that position the student to an appropriate work force. This implies that a criminal who gets free college education in prison, once released, is highly likely to find a good job. This will be unfair to the thousands of good citizens who are out there and cannot get jobs (Salsbury 1).

Free college education should not be offered to criminals as a remedy of committing crime. By choosing to commit a crime, they forfeited their opportunities and freedom. The criminals should pay for their choices to violate the rights of citizens and breaking the law (Harlow 1). Free college education is a privilege to most inmates which they do not take seriously. This is because they are not aware of the costs involved. This is not fair to citizens who work hard to get it. Another point to note is that one cannot simply go to college because they want to.

They must earn their admission unlike inmates who only make a choice (Chaneles 14). The professors and instructors employed at prisons find time out of their schedule to lecture the inmates at an additional cost. The criminals may use the knowledge they get to cause more harm than good. Giving them an education and more skills will make them professional criminals if they choose not to change their ways of life. Giving criminals serving a life sentence and death sentence free education is a waste of resources.

They will not be able to use the knowledge they gain since they are confined in jail for the rest of their life time. These resources could have been used to educate other deserving citizens (Salsbury 1). Giving second time criminals a chance to free college education is over-leniency, having been given a second opportunity to better their lives and make things right but they fail to do so. This is being unfair to good citizens who have to finance their own college education. The inmates should be molded and prepared to fit in the real outside world.

They should learn to work hard to earn their own recognition. Even though prisons are rehabilitation centers, punishment should not be comprised. Educational backgrounds of the prisoners vary a lot (Salsbury 1). They differ in age, religion, and culture, hence standard classroom teaching will prove difficult. This is an additional stress to the lecturers as they will have to give special attention and time to some students. Educating prisoners serving long time sentences does not guarantee productivity and a more prosperous life.

Mostly their productive years end up being wasted in jail. Many victim rights groups view educating criminals as