The Value of College Degrees in a Recessionary Economy
With the economy on the brink of a nasty recession, college graduates may be in for a rude awakening when it comes to the value of their degrees. It’s not just that many college grads will find themselves settling for minimum wage jobs; now, inmates are being given degrees from college institutions—for free—that could potentially devalue the worth of higher education overall. Let’s take a closer look at why this is happening and what it could mean for the future of college graduates.
Why Inmates Are Receiving Free College Degrees
In Tennessee, thirteen inmates will walk across the stage this Thursday to receive degrees from Lipscomb University. These inmates were taught face-to-face by Lipscomb professors and studied side-by-side with undergrads at the prison once a week. While traditional students pay full tuition, are these prisoners getting free degrees?
The question then is why? In a nutshell, someone thought that providing education to those incarcerated can reduce recidivism rates and save taxpayers money in the long run by decreasing costs associated with repeat offenders. Furthermore, there is research that suggests that providing educational resources to prisoners gives them access to skills they can use after they are released in order to contribute back to society in meaningful ways.
This is actually a great thought process. But what does it mean for students who pay for their tuition and are taking their first crack at the job market?
The Impact on Traditional Students
It remains to be seen how traditional students will view this program and whether or not they think it devalues their degree achievement. On the one hand, some may argue that these inmates are receiving an unfair advantage by having their tuition paid for while those who take out loans or pay out of pocket are left holding the bag when it comes time to pay off their debt. On the other hand, some may see this as an opportunity for inmates to get an educational start and turn their lives around after making mistakes in their pasts.
The debate about offering free college degrees to inmates will no doubt continue well into the future as more states consider similar programs as an alternative form of sentencing reform. At any rate, it cannot be denied that such programs have great benefits for individual inmates. There are many potential drawbacks that should also be considered carefully before implementing such initiatives widely. Ultimately, only time will tell how traditional students react to such programs and how much impact they have on higher education overall.
The value of a college degree has been taking hits since the 1980s. Americans need to start considering trade schools because a college degree is an activity even inmates can now participate in.