Change in law opens college aid to some drug offenders
Monday, February 6, 2006; Posted: 9:19 a.m. EST (14:19 GMT)
AP) -- An ex-heroin addict and convict, Clarkson Reed says turning his life around hasn't come easy. He earned a college degree while in prison in the 1990s and became a counselor. But his hopes for a graduate degree and a better job have been stymied because his drug convictions made him ineligible for federal financial aid.
Reed, 56, of Lynnwood, Washington, may now get his chance. A provision tucked in the massive budget bill passed by Congress could help him and perhaps thousands of other adult drug offenders regain eligibility for federal education aid.
"It's good for me, and I'm glad, although it held me back for five years, five years when I'm not getting any younger, and five years when I could have been out doing more to help people with substance abuse problems," said Reed, who had lost his eligibility because of two drugs sales convictions.
Students convicted while receiving federal aid will still lose their eligibility -- for one year for a first possession offense, two years for a second and indefinitely for a third, with harsher penalties for selling.
But under the new rules, which President Bush is expected to sign into law, offenders who weren't enrolled in school and getting taxpayer support at the time when they were convicted can apply for aid. The change is expected to benefit mostly older students like Reed who had finished school before they were convicted and now wish to go back.
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Changes in law could help past drug offenders qualify for federal financial aid
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