Mug an old lady … get free college (Opinion)

You don't have to rob someone's grandma to get college funds in New Jersey. You can also rape or murder someone to qualify.

This is no joke. The program, NJ-STEP, that allows inmates to get state funds for online college education has just been expanded. The intent is to cut down on the recidivism rate of prisoners, giving them a better chance of success once they are released.

In theory, this sounds good. But what about the law abiding people — who didn't kill or rape someone — who could use help with their education? Well, hold up a liquor store at gunpoint and you have a better shot at getting state aid.

What kind of message does this send to people? In New Jersey it's becoming more clear: screw up, don't follow the rules, and get rewarded. We're not just talking about a community college education. Yes, Rutgers and Princeton are a part of the program too. How about you contact the prisoner's closest relative and tell them their sorry ass kin is about to get out of the joint. If they screw up, your name goes on the state's social media pages as the one who failed them.

What an insult to the victims of crime and the average hard working slob whose money is taken by the state every week in their paychecks. The NJ-STEP program is Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons Consortium. It really stands for Scumbags Take & Everybody Pays. The progressive, good-intentioned road to Hell is almost fully paved. Give the Murphy administration another term and it will be complete. Of course it will have a toll, but only the tax paying, law abiding will have to pay.

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