San Francisco (July 31, 2015) – Timothy P. Silard, president of the Rosenberg Foundation, released the following statement today on the launch of the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program for incarcerated indviduals.

“We applaud the U.S. Department of Education for restoring educational opportunity for individuals currently behind bars. For far too long, our criminal justice system has been stuck using one gear—the incarceration gear—at great moral, economic and human cost. Correctional education has been shown time and again to help reduce recidivism, giving people a second chance at rebuilding their lives and contributing to our communities. The Administration is taking a major step forward to embrace proven, common-sense approaches that can help us achieve justice, increase public safety and transform lives.”