CHENANGO COUNTY – New York Senator Tom Libous, R-52nd Senate District, is voicing strong opposition to providing inmates in state-run prisons with a state-funded college education.

In a statement recently made to media sources, Libous called Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to fund college courses for prison inmates during incarceration “misguided and just plain wrong.”

“I talk with parents all the time. College costs keep going up, and it’s getting harder and harder for parents to save every penny, and many times go into debt, to send their kids to college,” Libous said. “Why should New York also demand that hardworking parents foot the bill for inmates’ tuition?”

The inmate college education program would give inmates the chance earn an associates or bachelor degrees during their time of incarceration. Degree programs would generally take 2.5–3 years to complete.

But Libous said the Governor’s plan lacks details of how the program would be funded and how much it would cost taxpayers. Estimates reach into the tens of millions of dollars, he said. “That money could go to increased student aid, or reduced tuition at SUNY schools. It could be invested in projects that create good jobs and economic opportunities for hard-working taxpayers who play by the rules.”