The transition from inmate to productive member of society
While inmates face many obstacles after they are released from prison, correctional education programs offer them the skills necessary to find gainful employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending.
Photo by: CA Dept. of Corrections
In August 2013, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that research funded by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance indicated that inmates who participated in correctional education programs were forty-three percent less likely to return to prison than inmates who did not. Although there are skeptics who believe that correctional education programs are a waste of time and money, the research findings show that prison education programs are cost-effective: “[a] one dollar investment in prison education translates into reducing incarceration costs by four or five dollars during the first three years after release, when those leaving prison are most likely to return.”
The difference in the average cost of education and the average cost of reincarceration is significant.
In a cost analysis (pdf) conducted by the Rand Corporation, data showed that the annual cost of education per inmate ranged from $1,400 to $1,744. Next, the report provided that the average rate of reincarceration, based on a three-year reincarceration rate, was 30.4 percent for participants and 43.3 percent for non-participants. Finally, the analysis revealed that the annual cost of incarceration per inmate ranged from $28,323 to $31,286, and the average length of stay for a reincarcerated inmate was 2.4 years. Therefore, the total average costs of reincarcerating an inmate for an average stay of 2.4 years fall between $67,975 and $75,086. The difference in the average cost of education and the average cost of reincarceration is significant.
There are some shortcomings to the analysis. For instance, the scope of the study was quite narrow and did not take into account the full analysis of the costs and benefits of correctional education. Furthermore, since few studies have investigated the influence of education for more than three years, the study assumed that correctional education after three years had essentially no effect. However, the programs may actually have an impact on reincarceration beyond three years.
The study also assumed that the effects of program participation were uniform across different types of crimes, but education may actually work better for those who have a lower tendency to reoffend in the first place. Notwithstanding these shortcomings, the available data reflects that correctional education programs are in fact cost-effective.
Prison education has changed dramatically in both state and federal prisons within the past few decades.
The programs available to inmates vary between states and between state and federal prison systems, but regardless of where an inmate is located, correctional education is an integral part of the total correctional process. In North Carolina, for example, academic and vocational education programs are mainly offered to medium custody inmates. To qualify for one of the programs, a Division of Prisons case manager must recommend an inmate for participation, and the prison manager must review and approve the recommendation. Inmates are recommended for participation based on interests, abilities, needs, and whether the time remaining in their sentence allows for completion of the program.
All federal institutions offer literacy classes, English as a Second Language, parenting classes, wellness education, adult continuing education, library services, and instruction in leisure-time activities. Vocational training in the federal prison system is overseen by Federal Prison Industries (FPI), also commonly referred to as UNICOR. The mission of FPI is to
employ and provide job skills training to the greatest practicable number of inmates confined within the Federal Bureau of Prisons; contribute to the safety and security of our Nation’s Federal correctional facilities by keeping inmates constructively occupied; produce market-priced quality goods and services for sale to the Federal Government; operate in a self-sustaining manner; and minimize FPI’s impact on private business and labor.
Vocational programs (pdf) include training in areas such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, carpentry, culinary arts, landscaping, computer applications and graphics, and many other fields, depending on the particular prison.
Prison education has changed dramatically in both state and federal prisons within the past few decades. During the 1990s, convicted felons became ineligible to receive financial aid in the form of Federal Pell Grants. Today, the Department of Education provides that “[y]ou are not eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant if you are incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution.” Ineligibility of inmates to receive financial aid led to programs such as the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) so that inmates could continue to pursue higher education. BPI is a division of Bard College that enrolls incarcerated men and women in academic programs that lead to degrees from Bard College. Because the state and federal government stopped supporting college in-prison programs, BPI depends solely on private support from individuals and philanthropic foundations.
BPI has a number of success stories, one of whom is Carlos Rosado, a former inmate and BPI graduate who is now working as a recycling engineer. Rosado was interviewed at his workplace, where he stated that success “begins with two things. It begins with the person identifying that they need or they want to excel, and you need an opportunity to excel.” Rosado was able to become successful because of his own desire and the opportunities available through BPI.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire individuals from certain target groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment.
Despite participation in correctional education programs, prior inmates will face obstacles when seeking employment. Employers are often reluctant to hire individuals with a criminal record for fear that they will be inferior workers or that an employee’s past bad acts will lead to future employer liability. The willingness of employers to give released inmates a second chance might depend on the individual’s training, or the employer may simply be sympathetic. Whatever the reason, there are several incentives available to employers who hire ex-offenders, including tax credits. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire individuals from certain target groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. The tax credit ranges from $1,200 to $9,600, depending on the employee hired.
Employment is just one matter in which inmates will seek assistance after release. The Federal Interagency Reentry Council is a group of twenty agencies that focus on issues such as employment, housing and homelessness services, mental health, physical health, and public safety. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, and the Social Security Administration are just some of the agencies that comprise the Reentry Council. Most individuals find out about the Reentry Council after reading Reentry Mythbusters (pdf), a series of fact sheets that the Reentry Council publishes to help communities and formerly incarcerated individuals clarify federal policy.
For example, one of the Mythbusters provides information on eligibility for public housing. The fact sheet highlights two instances in which a Public Housing Authority must deny admission: where any member of the household is subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a State sex offender program, and where any member of the household has been convicted for a drug-related activity—for manufacture or production of methamphetamine—on the premises of federally assisted housing. There are many other Mythbusters fact sheets that offer information on subjects including veterans’ benefits, parental rights, eligibility for Social Security benefits, and a variety of other topics.
These individuals will eventually be released, they will be expected to find employment and housing, and they will need resources in order to succeed.
The prison population, with over 1.6 million Americans institutionalized in federal and state correctional facilities, cannot be ignored. These individuals will eventually be released, they will be expected to find employment and housing, and they will need resources in order to succeed. Correctional education will not be enough to deter some individuals from reoffending, but for some, education programs will provide a means to become a productive member of society.
