Prison Inmate Education

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 once they are out of prison. I believe that this study is very important because we can then gauge the effectiveness, if any, that these prison education programs have and better judge whether they are useful to have in the prison system. The argument that prisoners who participate in educational programs are less likely to recidivate is a sound argument for the reason that these educational programs teach them basic skills to help them adapt to life and find employment once they are released. Gordon and Weldon's study shows how prisoners who have completed the General Education Development (GED) program have a significantly lower rate of recidivism. The goal of these educational programs are to achieve six goals: "to provide inmates with basic academic and vocational skills, to provide inmates with an opportunity to change their personal behavior, attitudes, and values, to reduce recidivism, to provide passive control of inmate behavior, to support the operational needs of the correction institute in jobs such as fast food service, building maintenance, grounds keeping, etc..(Gordon et al, 2003)." The author's assume that a higher level of education will prevent an inmate from coming back to prison once they are released back

Cited: Gordon, Howard. Weldon, Bracie (2003). The Impact of Career and Technical Education Programs on Adult Offenders: Learning Behind Bars. Journal of Correctional Education, 54(4), 200-209. Vacca, James S (2004). Educated Prisoners Are Less Likely to Return to Prison. Journal of Correctional Education, 55(4), 297-306.