<p>Is this fair? Atleast in California, if a person is on probation their first yr tuition Is covered. I’m not sure if by the state or fed but nevertheless uppermiddle class people with squeaky clean records like myself can’t even qualify for a dime of financial aid but criminals and troublemakers get in free? Is this fair at all??</p>
<p>That seems really out-there, Volleyballchick. I don’t mean to doubt your word, but could you please link to me (or tell me) where you saw that?</p>
<p>^^ well they pass some wacky laws in California…it’s possible 
some well intentioned advocacy group might have figured it would keep these folks on probation on the clean and honorable path if they “stuck” them in colleges for free instead of paying the cost to put them in jails and got a law passed.</p>
<p>That’s why I’m not assuming that the OP is making a joke. It still seems really far-fetched though, and I can’t find anything about it in Google. I heard about some jails having college courses in prison and having some success with that, but nothing on the scale of a free year of college for everyone on probation.</p>
<p>Ok maybe I just live in a really ghetto place. Half the ppl at my cc have been in the prision system. Two of my aquatances are on probation and yes school is paid for them. No joke guys.</p>
<p>I’m from the antelope valley. We have a prision out here. When they get out they all come to my cc as part of their rehabilitation or somthing…</p>
<p>[States</a> Get Grants To Help Ex-Offenders](<a href=“http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=14894]States”>http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=14894)</p>
<p>second paragraph, I couldn’t find much but my friends are proof this is not a joke</p>
<p>I didn’t think it was a joke, although it really is surprising. The article that you linked to doesn’t go so far as saying that they’re getting a free first year of college or anything like that. Were you referring to this paragraph?:</p>
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<p>Job skills training programs and similar education programs have existed for a while now and it’s not the same thing as getting into college for free. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist in your area or anything, but this article doesn’t seem to be about that at all. The programs that the article is talking about seems like a good idea; it’s a lot cheaper to have someone working and paying taxes at a real job instead of having them in jail sucking down taxpayer money in the form of food, clothes and housing.</p>
<p>Just throwing this out there- I’m pretty sure these kids are going to school for “free” because you live in the “ghetto” ie- very poor. NOT because they were in jail/on probation…</p>
<p>Lol no the shool is ghetto, because the prision. The area is upper middle class however. And the two I know have parents that make more of an income than mine and they are also dependents. Also I know that article is weak evidence, it wa just also I could find online. Not alot published about this issue.</p>
<p>But seriously, the reason they get a grant (that covers full tuition) is because they r on probation. Weird right?</p>
<p>Not really. I mean, how are you going to get any sort of decent financial aid when you’re on probation applying to college for the first time?</p>