Educational opportunities that are offered to inmates vary from state to state. In most states, half of the prisoners availed of some form of education while the other half are in the waiting list.
Laws Affecting Prison Education
In 1994, Congress passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act which would make convicted felonies ineligible for the Pell grants. The Pell grant budget allocates less than 1 percent to inmate education.
The Higher Education Act’s Grants for Youthful Offenders program, however, enables the federal government to extend around $17 million budget for inmates’ education – mostly for post-secondary, vocational education. To qualify, the prisoner must be below 25 years old and be sentenced to less than five years.
Benefits of Inmate Education Programs
Education programs help promote inmates’ welfare and this extends to the society as well. A study conducted by the US Department of Education, spearheaded by Stephen J. Steurer of the Correctional Education Association, revealed that inmates who took classes while in prison, either vocational training or classes at high school or college level, are less likely to go back to prison within the first three years of release.
The study followed more than 3,000 prisoners in Maryland, Minnesota and Ohio. Results revealed that after three years of being released from prison, only 22 percent of the prisoners who availed of inmate education returned to prison compared to 31 percent of those who did not. Inmate education, therefore, will not only help the prisoner but will also help preserve the public’s safety as well. Crime reduction is an indirect result of inmate education as proven by the findings.
In the same vein, the Bureau of Prisons conducted research on inmates who participated in programs inside the prison, such as vocational training and mock job fairs. Their studies showed that these programs that teach marketable skills to prisoners help to reduce recidivism or repetition of criminal behavior patterns.
Misconduct is also effectively reduced by these programs because emphasis on personal responsibility, respect and tolerance of others are being taught. The Inmate Education enables inmates to acquire pro-social values and life skills.
The Department of Education study on prison education is significant because it quantified the reduce in recidivism among inmates due to attending classes or training while in prison. Crime reduction is not only the direct result of prison education. Another is financial savings on prison budget. The studies showed that for every dollar spend on education, two dollars that would cover the cost of re-incarceration are saved.
Based on the results of these studies, prison education contributes to reduced recidivism. The society’s welfare is positively impacted when inmates acquire education. This translates into moral as well as financial benefits for the taxpayers as well.
Gwendolyn Cuizon - Gwendolyn Cuizon is a seasoned freelance writer and a published book author. She holds a degree in BSC-Accounting. Her penchant to acquire ...
