Malachi Thompson understands what it means to start over. Released from prison in 2023, he’s working to rebuild his life.
“I want to earn my degree in sports medicine,” he said. “But with barely any work experience and no way to afford college, I honestly don’t know if it is going to happen.”
Right now, he’s focused on earning his GED, seeing it as the first step toward something better. He plans to finish later this year and start looking into community college.
But without financial aid or in-state tuition, higher education costs feel like another barrier he can’t scale.
He’s not the only one —thousands of formerly incarcerated Floridians run into the same roadblock. They want a fresh start, but tuition costs are out of reach.
A new bill, SB 360, could change that. If passed, it would allow incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students to maintain in-state residency status for tuition, making college more affordable.
The bill follows SB 62, introduced in 2022 by Senator Rosalind Osgood, a longtime supporter of greater access to education for incarcerated people.
“This creates an opportunity for those who want to pursue some type of educational opportunity, which we all would agree will make them more marketable and employable,” Osgood, a Democrat from Tamarac, said last year.
However, the previous bill was vetoed by Governor Ron DeSantis because it would be inequitable for law-abiding Floridians, he said.
“Florida’s higher education system has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for almost 10 years, partly because of the state’s investment in our institutions,” DeSantis wrote. “We shouldn’t be rewarding criminal behavior by providing the same benefits to inmates as law-abiding Floridians.”
Even though SB 360 is still being debated, initiatives in Florida have already helped prison inmates and those who were formerly incarcerated to pursue education.
The University of Central Florida’s Florida Prison Education Project (FPEP) offers college courses to inmates to earn credits while in prison. Since 2017, FPEP has been helping incarcerated students gain the skills they need to be successful after release. The program was recently awarded funding to expand and offer online courses.
In addition to its prison education initiatives, FPEP also awards an annual $1,000 scholarship to a non-incarcerated UCF student who is formerly incarcerated or system-impacted, further empowering those seeking to rebuild their lives through education.
But for most who have served their time, the most significant barrier isn’t access — it’s cost. Many don’t qualify for financial aid, and college remains out of reach without in-state tuition.
A RAND Corporation study found that inmates participating in education are 43% less likely to return to prison. Every dollar spent on correctional education saves $4 to $5 in state incarceration costs. Education gives people an avenue out, allowing them to find jobs and stability instead of returning to the system.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a key SB 360 supporter, argues that reducing the cost of education benefits everyone.
“SB 62 was poised to improve access to higher education by addressing the challenges of residency requirements, for tuition purposes, for those incarcerated and recently released people who are looking to improve their lives,” the organization says on its website.
Osgood echoed those words, adding that education reduces recidivism. “We talk about recidivism rates and then we look at economic benefits — them going to school, getting access to education and whatever services they’re eligible for is certainly better for us than them getting out after being in prison for three years and having no additional skills or intellectual capacity.”
To Thompson, this is not policy— this is personal. He’s been trying for lots of different jobs but is still running into brick walls.
He worries he will be stuck in low-wage labor with no upward momentum without affordable tuition. “I know I can do better,” he said. “But I need the opportunity to prove it.”
SB 360 could be his chance. If passed, it would help thousands like him get an education and good jobs and eventually move on.
“It’s not necessarily just going to school,” Thompson said. “It’s getting my life together and leaving my past in the past.”