Virtual Reporters Roundtable to Discuss Restoration of Access to Pell Grants for Incarcerated Students Seeking to Become Productive Citizens

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prison Fellowship will host a Zoom virtual reporters roundtable on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 from 11–noon (EST) to discuss the impact of the recent actions of the U.S. Congress in restoring access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students as a provision within the Fiscal Year 2021 omnibus package.

Learn more about the impact of the Pell ban for incarcerated students, their families, and society in general. The virtual panel will include:

• Scott Stump, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Education;
• Frank Russo, the Director of Government and Legislative Affairs with the National District Attorneys Association;
• Allison Dembeck, Vice President of Education and Labor Advocacy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce;
• Dr. Amit Bhatia with Corban University's Oregon State Correctional Institution;
• James Ackerman, the President and CEO of Prison Fellowship and;
• Heather Rice-Minus, the Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Church Mobilization of Prison Fellowship.

"Pell Grant access offers people in prison the opportunity to pursue good citizenship behind and beyond bars," said James Ackerman, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship. "We applaud federal policymakers—and particularly Secretary DeVos, the White House, bipartisan cosponsors of the REAL Act, and higher education leaders like Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray and Representatives Virginia Foxx and Bobby Scott— for moving this historic reform to transform lives, livelihoods, and communities across the finish line."

"Hope is such a powerful gift," said Heather Rice-Minus, senior vice president of advocacy and church mobilization for Prison Fellowship. "Access to Pell Grants has been denied to aspiring incarcerated students for a quarter century. Today's inclusion of this reform opens a new window of hope that will pay back dividends in the form of safer communities inside and outside corrections facilities for decades to come."

About Prison Fellowship
Prison Fellowship is the nation's largest outreach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading voice for criminal justice reform. With more than 40 years of experience helping restore men and women behind bars, Prison Fellowship advocates for federal and state criminal justice reforms that transform those responsible for crime, validate victims, and encourage communities to play a role in creating a safe, redemptive, and just society.

SOURCE Prison Fellowship