Back in the day, when times were flush, pre-Covid, pre-inflation, pre-ballooning government debt, I toyed with the idea of an Adult Student Basic Income (ASBI) of $1,000 a month, for up to six years. I still think it’s a great idea, but the money ain’t there. So my new ASBI proposal is just $800 a month, up to 18 months total, no more than nine months a year. That’s up to $7,200 a year, $14,400 total. Not shabby - more generous than a Pell Grant, plus not means-tested, so recipients could work and still collect the full amount. And just about all American adults, 18-62, would be eligible.

Why not allow individuals in prison or jail receive an ASBI when they participate in education and training programs and then release the funds when they get out? It’s well-established that education and training programs are among the most cost-effective recidivism-reduction tools we have (Aos & Drake, 2013). Plus, the ASBI is a piddling amount of money compared to costs related to recidivism and the extra money would help offenders support themselves while they find their footing post-release.

Here’s how it would work: individuals would accrue up to $5400 of their ASBI benefit when participating in education and training programs while incarcerated. That’s $300 a month for up to 18 months. The correction facility would receive $100/month for administrative expenses, such as submitting periodic progress reports to the Feds. The offender would then receive their accrued ASBI after they’ve been released and met with a probation or parole officer. Check it out:

As the total ASBI benefit is worth $14,400, formerly incarcerated individuals would still be eligible for an additional $7200 ASBI benefit, at $800/month (the standard rate for the unincarcerated), provided they are enrolled in an approved education or training program.

Between the ASBI funds accrued while incarcerated and the possibility of more money after release, former offenders would be better prepared to meet the challenges of their new lives post-incarceration: more likely to qualify for well-paying jobs and with enough money to meet living expenses while they looked for work or arranged some other stable (but legal!) source of income.

Reference:

Aos, S. & Drake, E. (2013). Prison, Police and Programs: Evidence-based Options that
Reduce Crime and Save Money (Doc. No. 13-11-1901). Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy. https://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1396/Wsipp_Prison-Police-and-Programs-Evidence-Based-Options-that-Reduce-Crime-and-Save-Money_Full-Report.pdf