Education And Incarceration

The prison system realizes that an immense majority of inmates will be released; we need to prepare them for outside life. Without the efforts of educational programs, a prison can become a “revolving door, with inmates having nowhere to go but back” to the prison with no future (Young 1). A majority of the states offer a GED program, but North Carolina profits from a Community College system that offers classes in academics, auto mechanics, masonry, wiring, plumbing, and computer literacy. The Community Colleges offer two-year degree programs in many areas. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers business association classes to inmates over twenty-five years of age. Because of the excellent programs they have to offer, more than five thousand of about thirty thousand inmates are in the education program and these numbers continue to grow.

Although several educational programs are widely available, many inmates are unable to take advantage of them, do not complete them, or lack follow up in the form of ongoing support services once released from the correctional system. The following table displays this concern: Table 2. national and state data on inmate participation and completion . Approximate Numbers 1993-2007: Institution Type Total Number of Inmates System 165,000 167,717 Number of Inmates Enrolled in Education Programs 54,000 87,624 Rate of Attendance, At Completion of Course 50% 60% Rate of Completion

Many offenders will be released from prison and yet approximately 60% will return for violating the law (Beard, Johnson, & Kemp, 2003). An inmate that has an education equivalent to a

The article "The Impact of Career and Technical Education Programs on Adult Offenders: Learning Behind Bars" by Howard Gordon and Bracie Weldon (2003) studies of how prisoners receiving educations in prison reduces the recidivism rate. Gordon and Weldon studied the inmates who were participating in the educational programs at the Huttonsville Correctional Center in West Virginia and claimed that inmates who participated in the educational programs were less likely to recidivate once released back into the population as compared to inmates who did not participate in these programs (Gordon & Weldon, 2003). This study provides valuable information as to the effectiveness of educational programs in prison and how they affect prisoner's lives

Inmates need to be educated and rehabilitated in order to be released back into society. If prisoners receive a good education they are less likely to commit misconduct in the future. The Three State Recidivism Study

Ewert, S., Sykes, B. L., & Pettit, B. (2014). The degree of disadvantage: Incarceration and inequality in education. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 651(1), 24-43.

While in prison, education would provide a crucial key for inmate rehabilitation. Part of that rehabilitation can be in the form of education. Education in the prison system generally geared

Vivian Nixon’s article “During and After Incarceration, Education Changes Lives” argues higher education should be made available to current and formerly imprisoned individuals. Her main point is that, “Lawmakers should remove the obstacles that prevent convicted individuals from earning degrees during and after their sentences” (Nixon). Throughout the article, she discusses the value of education and how it reduces recidivism. While appealing to legislators who implement the law, the article is relevant to all readers.

Great topic, usually we tend to overlook the fact that we all deserve the right to receive an education. I’ve had a few professors say that this is a privilege and not right, which is upsetting because a lack of educations just creates a further gap between social and economic classes. I liked how you provided short summaries of the cases in your introduction that provides a solid background to your arguments. May I suggest you probably look into the “School to Prison Pipeline”, I think it will add to your argument that educational institutions are targeting students and depriving them from opportunities. The school to prison pipeline explain that schools create policies that criminalize the students, some especially target the Latino and African

Prisoners are described as untrustworthy criminals-a characteristic a college education won’t change. Victims of criminals are used as more evidence of their negative nature; justifying why inmates shouldn’t be able to be awarded the grants. In contrast, they emphasize the innocent nature of law abiding citizens, who work relentlessly to be able to send their kids to college, and how these attributes make them different than inmates; and therefore the only rightful receiver of Pell Grants. The group that supported Pell Grants in U.S. prisons, took a less aggressive role. They didn’t refute the opposing side’s claim completely, but focused on the positive results of college education. They portrayed inmates as molding blocks who could change with the help of proper resources, and the fact that they were as much of a citizen as anyone else- and deserved the same opportunity of the Pell

I think Texas should stop increasing rates of incarceration and Texas do not need to build more prisons. According to the FBI ‘Crime in the United States, 2015 reveals a 2.6 percent decrease in the estimated number of crimes last year when compared to 2014 data’. Although increasing rates of incarceration and the crimes rates is decrease. On some minor crimes, we should decriminalize certain behavior like marijuana and alcohol. We can send criminals to a program or a camp to teach them to the right way. We should invest some money in crime prevention (like drug, marijuana, and alcohol) to reduce the crimes rates. The another problem is reducing sentence lengths, according to statistics, the murder of imprisonment extended for at least 5 years,

In this table, the authors are describing the characteristics (gender, race, age, priors, offense, and education) of the sample of Ohio inmates who completed the various correctional educational programs included in their study (college, GED, vocational, and high school) and those who did not participate in correlational educational programs (non-education).

If only a third of these men and women in prison were to participate in a college program while in prison, that still yields over $150,000,000 in tax dollars that could be saved or better yet, allocated to quality education to prevent imprisonment. At present, our tax dollars are paying the equivalent of an elite private college education for women and men in prison to be uneducated, without adequate drug treatment and other social services essential for people to redirect their lives. This policy could, in addition, reduce further crime, and diminish the tax burden of prison

Before understanding the research to be conducted, one must understand the who, what, when, and why of the issue. Many people know and understand that with a better education they will have a better chance in succeeding in the business world. Getting a good paying job without an education is very difficult to do. Those in prison have it even harder, not only do they lack the necessary education; they also have a criminal

Education reduces the recidivism rate. According to www.ed.gov, “Employment after release was thirteen percent higher among prisoners who participated in either academic or vocational education programs than among those who did not.” Education gives