Signs of Success in Prison Education Programs
Prison education programs designed to combat recidivism and help prepare inmates for life after prison are growing and showing signs of success across the U.S., USA Today reported Sept. 25.
Sparked in part by the Second Chance Act signed into law in April 2008, several states have broadened their in-prison educational programs. In California, enrollment in college courses has trebled among juvenile justice inmates over the past three years; Arkansas' prison system had the largest graduating class in the state; personalized instruction plans are being developed for Pennsylvania's inmates; and women in Tennessee prisons are earning college credits.
The shift towards preparing inmates for a life after prison is “a motivation factor, it's a morale factor, it's a behavior factor,” said Linda Caldwell, associate warden at the Tyger River Correctional Institution School in South Carolina. “Everything that these folks do in education helps my institution run so much better,” she added.
A study by the Arkansas Department of Corrections showed that prison GED programs have reduced the rate of recidivism in the state by 8 percentage points.
Some opponents say that money should be spent on practical issues facing prisons and not on educating prisoners. “We should not be spending more money for touchy-feely programs,” said Ted Deeds of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, who said that funding is lacking for “actual brick and mortar prisons and bed space.”
