Prosecutors Back Pell Grants in Prisons

The country's largest association of prosecutors on Thursday endorsed legislation to repeal the ban on federal aid for incarcerated students.

The National District Attorneys Association said in a statement that it was backing the REAL Act, which would restore access to Pell Grants in prisons, to support ongoing efforts to reduce recidivism.

Senator Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, introduced the REAL Act for a second time in April along with Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, and Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat. The legislation already had received endorsements from the American Correctional Association and Association of State Correctional Administrators as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The district attorneys' group said repealing the ban on Pell Grants in prisons would build on the work of the FIRST STEP Act, criminal justice reform legislation that passed last year with the group's support.