“…the need for ‘reentry’ — for bringing those who have paid their debt to society back into our families, our workforce, and our civic life — is more pressing than ever before. Far too many of these men (and women) have been lost to a Bermuda Triangle of dysfunction within America’s borders, a dark space whose coordinates are demarcated by joblessness, dependence on disability and welfare programs, and addiction.” Big Government’s Overlooked Americans by Nicholas Eberstadt/National Review

“Successful reintegration is not just a concern for those who return from prison: it is also a matter of public safety and economic necessity. Accordingly, a criminal justice system that emphasizes incarceration but does not support the journey home does a disservice to the formerly incarcerated as well as to the public. Reducing recidivism is critical for community safety; providing effective rehabilitation and skill development for those incarcerated and formerly incarcerated is critical to strengthening households and the economy.” Twelve facts about incarceration and prisoner reentry by Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Ryan Nunn, Lauren Bauer, Audrey Breitwieser, Megan Mumford, and Greg Nantz/ Brookings October 21, 2016

Most formerly incarcerated people in the US are arrested within three years of release from prison. What can be done to prevent them from returning to their old ways? Here’s an idea:

“Issue a temporary basic income upon release. Providing short-term financial stability for formerly incarcerated people would operate as an investment, helping to ease reintegration and provide public safety and recidivism reduction benefits that would result in long-term cost savings.” Recommendation in Out of Prison & Out of Work: Unemployment among formerly incarcerated people by Lucius Couloute and Daniel Kopf/Prison Policy Initiative.

A temporary basic income for the formerly incarcerated is a great idea - except it should be available to all US adults and come with a few strings attached. I’m talking about the Adult Student Basic Income (ASBI)*. The ASBI would effectively address such ills as poverty, volatility of income, job instability, and insufficient social mobility without discouraging labor market participation and at minimal expense to most taxpayers. I had previously envisioned the ASBI would be $1000/month, but the post-pandemic federal budget is going to be under a lot of strain for several years and something’s got to give. So let’s reduce that to $900 a month** .

The ASBI would provide a $900 monthly stipend up to six years total (minimum one month at a time) for adults enrolled at least part-time in approved postsecondary training and education programs, from ESL classes to apprenticeships to on-the-job training programs to graduate school. The benefit would not be means-tested, so recipients could work as much as they want without jeopardizing their ASBI payments. ASBI payments would stop if recipients failed to meet participation and performance requirements but payments could resume following a reinstatement process.

The ASBI would mostly pay for itself through reduced spending on other government programs, such as Federal Student Loans, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Pell Grants would be eliminated and many other safety-net programs would have smaller budgets because they are means-tested and anyone receiving an ASBI would either be ineligible for cash benefits or receive lower benefits from the other programs.

The ASBI would also save money by reducing crime and incarceration costs.

—

* For more on the Adult Student Basic Income (including budget and tax considerations), see previous posts: here, here, here, here and here.

** I have since decided that an ASBI of $1000/month is still doable - the US economy appears to be doing better than expected when this post was written. [note added on July 30, 2021]