Educational programs in prisons“It is not surprising that the prisoners all have a low level of education. I suppose a more educated person has enough common sense not to be involved in crime…the relationship between crime and education is easy to see by looking at these facts” (Strings 1). This is the opinion of most people when asked why people are in prison. People just say the criminals were poorly educated. As hard as we try, there's not much we can do about what happens before they enter prison, but there are many programs within prisons to help with their rehabilitation when they leave prison. The New York Theological Seminary for African-American Male Prisoners (NYTS) operates a program at Sing Sing Prison that allows inmates to earn their master's degree. This program meets five times a week and only has about fourteen to sixteen men admitted each year. The program has become so popular that there is a waiting list of one or more years. The NYTS program helps these men prepare for community service. Forty-two credit hours must be completed to receive the diploma. Students must also complete at least fifteen hours of field service within the prison. Since the program’s inception, more than two hundred men have graduated. The program is offered in other prisons and inmates are allowed to transfer to Sing Sing in order to complete the program. Everyday men and women challenge themselves, but not as much as those behind bars. “Freedom is a struggle that begins in the mind of each person. These African American men [in Sing Sing Prison] behind bars challenge themselves daily to live as free human beings. Their courage should inspire us to do the same” (Marable 2). There is another federal program called Credits for Cons. This is a program proposed by the Clinton administration. They proposed an “educational income tax credit of fifteen cents” (Stanglin 1). This would allow volunteers to get credit if they sponsored an inmate who was taking college courses. Many believe church members would participate in this plan, as many have done in the past to help drug addicts. Although the proposal has not yet passed, many people have said they would be an active member of a program like this. North Carolina too... middle of paper ......Write Way' is a wonderful program held at the Stillwater Correctional Center. In conclusion, educational programs in prison range from very good with programs like "Reaching Out the Write Way" and the North Carolina programs to those that are not so good like Disadvantage Credits. “Education, combined with work programs, can give inmates the skills they need to succeed when they return to their communities...It can enable them to do work that reduces prison costs, such as taking messages, managing a library, like Andy in Shawshank Redemption, or reading recipes to work in the kitchen” (Young 2). Many people think that educating prisoners is “getting soft on crime,” but when you think about it, it really just ensures that the “revolving door” stops spinning (Young 1). If this door continues to swing in the circle it currently is, it will end up costing taxpayers up to a hundred dollars a day, if not more. “The cost of education is tiny compared to its benefits” (Young 2).