【Americausedtohaveastrongcollegeeducationsystemforprisoninmates（prisoners）．Itwasseenasawaytorehabilitatemenandwomeninprisonbyhelpingthemgostraightwhentheygotout．Thosetaxpayer-supportedcollegeclasseswereput】

　　America used to have a strong college education system for prison inmates （prisoners）．It was seen as a way to rehabilitate men and women in prison by helping them go straight when they got out．

　　Those taxpayer-supported college classes were put to an end in the 1990s．But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo would like to bring them back in the state，setting off a fierce new debate．

　　A number of lawmakers in New York have promised to kill Cuomo's proposal （提议）．

　　Cuomo says reintroducing taxpayer-funded college classes in New York's prisons is a common-sense plan that will reduce the number of inmates who commit new crimes．

　　"You pay﹩60，000for a prison cell for a year，"Cuomo responded．"You put a guy away for 10years，and that's﹩600，000．Right now，chances are almost half．Once he's set free，he's going to come right back．"

　　Cuomo says helping inmates get a college education would cost about﹩5，000a year per person．He argues，"It's a small amount of money if it keeps that inmate from bouncing back into prison．"

　　But even some members of the governor's own party hate this idea．State Assemblywoman Addie Russell，whose upstate district includes three state prisons，says taxpayers just won't stand for inmates getting a free college education，while middle-class families struggle to pay for their kids'college fees．

　　"That is the vast majority of feedback （反馈） that I'm also getting from my constituents （选民），"she says．"You know，‘Where is the relief for the rest of the population who obey the law？'"

　　"I was very disappointed that the policy had been changed，"says Gerald Gaes，who served as an expert on college programs for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the 1990s．In 1994，President Clinton stopped federal student aid programs for inmates．

　　Gaes says research shows that college classes actually save taxpayers'money over time，by reducing the number of inmates