College For Everyone, Even Convicts

 

JAYLEEN LAM JAKE BUI Staff Writer

 

A reform in the Common Application is expected to raise the low numbers of minority students who desire to attend college but are scared that their criminal history affects their chances of being accepted. The revision removes a question that asks students for their entire court record, and this change should be extended to all forms of college applications. Not only would this promote college enrollment in low-income minority undergraduates, but it will also benefit universities. Getting accepted to college is a dream for many people.

If students’ criminal records are included when applying to college, the student’s chances of being accepted will be much lower because of prejudices, which could be discouraging to inmates from juvenile facilities. Kids from juvenile facilities usually do not plan to go college because of the limited educational opportunities available to them, but with this feature removed, the chances of them going to college will rise. The United States owns the top prison-population rate in the world, meaning that there is a high number of prisoners compared to the whole population.

The major reason for the disproportionate prison-population rate is racial profiling, or the assumption that someone is a criminal based on their race or ethnicity. Young people from low-income neighborhoods are more frequently detained by law enforcement for the same crimes that affluent adolescents commit, and racial minorities have received harsher sentences because of the biases against them. Research also showed that hiring managers were more likely to assume that a black male applicant committed a crime in contrast to a white male. Racial profiling keeps people of color in poverty and instills a belief in students that they cannot get a job, resulting in fewer applicants to college.

These flaws in the justice system and society’s prejudices effectively intimidate college applicants in correctional facilities from enrolling in college and pursuing their dream careers. Letting juvenile kids with criminal histories go to college would be a great act because not only are they provided an education, they gain a second chance to redeem themselves morally. Racial diversity benefits the university and the students at the same time. The percentage of kids who are from a lower income area enrolling in college will rise rapidly and they will have a greater chance of succeeding in the job market.