Nearly 160,000 people are serving life sentences in the United States, and it’s easy to see to understand why the goal of lifelong education for them isn’t currently a priority for policy makers. 

But the author of this piece and another in the Harvard Education Review argues that education is a human right, not just a means to an end for a society. 

Learn more: The Lifelong Learning of Lifelong Inmates: If reducing recidivism is the goal of prison education, what can be gained from teaching those who will be behind bars for life?