As someone who has taught voluntarily in prisons, I agree fully that non-violent crimes (especially marijuana related offenses) benefit from educational program

As someone who has taught voluntarily in prisons, I agree fully that non-violent crimes (especially marijuana related offenses) benefit from educational programs with regards to recidivism rates. I used to be of the mind that violent criminals were beyond "saving" but that mentality began to wane the more I taught in the prison system. This was partly due to the fact that I never looked into my students' histories so that I couldn't be biased by my predilections on the severity of their crimes. By being blind to their crimes, it made me reevaluate my stance as some of my students probably had committed violent crimes but they were all great students. Now, my moral stance is that everyone deserves access to an education, no matter the circumstances. If one starts to restrict access due to severity of crimes committed, then we get ourselves into using education as a reward/punishment which should make everyone's ethical spidey senses stand on edge. Notice that this doesn't get into the nuanced discussion about the types of education or accommodations required for individuals who are considered dangerous to other students. Finally, for those who think murderers cannot change, I suggest watching the Mexico episode of "Inside the Real Narcos" on Netflix where they interview a Mexican Cartel hitman who truly seems regretful of his crimes.