Educational Programs for Inmates

Educational programs for inmates are administered by Bureau of Prisons for inmates who want to pursue literacy and skills training.

Bureau of Prison offers several programs for inmates that will enable them to acquire literacy and find jobs when released. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) provides for occupational and vocational training programs depending on three factors:

what the inmates want to pursue
the labor market
labor force needs in the institution
Education Programs

All institutions in the US provide literacy classes, English as a Second Language, parenting, wellness education, adult continuing education, library services, and leisure-time activities.

Inmates who have no high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate must take part of the literacy program for at least 240 hours or until GED is acquired. Non-English speaking inmates are required to take English as a Second Language first.

Bureau of Prisons provides on-the-job-training through institution job assignments and in Federal Prison industries. BOP also has post-secondary programs such as vocational classes. For inmates who want to pursue College courses, they need to fund this coursework.

In Santa Ana City Jail, for instance, classes provided for inmates include: Computer Applications, Business Skills, ESL, GED, Parenting, Anger Management, Job Development, Substance Abuse, Art, Drug Court Counseling, Sex Education, Bible studies, AA meetings, Sociology 101, Sociology 112,and Protestant and Catholic services.

Education and Training

A study by Correctional Service in Canada (CSC) revealed that there seems to be a gap in services to offenders if the concentration of the education and vocational training is mainly within the institutions. Almost all of the employability training resources were conducted inside prison. It was hard therefore for the offenders to make the necessary transition from the institution to the community after release.

In order for the educational classes and training to be effective, the government must establish programs in the community that will bridge the transition of the inmates from institution to the community. These programs must be relevant to the inmate students and their needs and which would orient them to cultural learning differences within prison and outside.

Results of Inmate Education

In a study conducted by Correctional Service in Canada (CSC), it was found out that inmate education results in lesser institutional behavior problems, pursuit of further education upon release from prison and increased chances of obtaining employment.

When it comes to college education, a study made by Open Society Institute conducted in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, New York, revealed that even more benefits are generated among women-inmates who took college class while in prison.

The results of the study showed that only 8 percent of the women-inmates who took college classes returned to prison after three years of release compared 30 percent of women who did not participate in the college program. The result can be due to several factors. One is, women generally have lower recidivism rates. Second, any kind of education decreases recidivism but higher education generate more favorable results than vocational education.

The problem though is in the funding of these college classes. If the state can provide means for the inmate to pursue college education such as scholarships or paid work while they are in prison, then the results would be so much better.

Education programs teach inmates job skills and cognitive skills that will make them productive and law-abiding citizens later on.

Reference:

Inmate education. John Howard Society of Alberta. 2002. (PDF file)