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By Christopher Zoukis

INTRODUCTION

In prisons across the country, a GED is typically the highest level of academic achievement facilitated by the prison administration. The administration’s focus – in terms of education – is almost exclusively upon how fast they can funnel their prison’s population through their GED programs. It’s a never-ending cycle that ends with each prisoner earning a GED and starts over with the next prisoner who has yet to earn one. While a good first step, it dooms many to failure. It does so by starting the prisoner on an academic track, but the track comes to a screeching halt upon attainment of the GED.

This single-minded focus on the GED creates a void for prison systems nationwide. This void is education above-and-beyond the GED level. Some prisons offer Adult Basic Education or Adult Continuing Education courses (of which I am an instructor), but rarely do any offer educational programs at the career or university level. This level of study – the credentialing level – is desperately needed by each and every prisoner because studies at this level translate directly into lower recidivism rates and jobs upon release.

By Ross Van Ness, Ed.D., Prof. Emeritus, Ball State University

Consider the effect that the content of basic college classes can have on a person who has never opened themselves to academic knowledge. English literature brings exposure to the great ideas, thought, experiences, and descriptions of human experience; psychology opens the world of how the mind controls our actions; sociology brings insight into how humans interact; anthropology explores origins, customs, and cultures of the human species; history describes not only what has transpired, but the effects past events have had on our present living. Math and science bring understanding of the physical world, numeric relationships, operating systems in nature, and the bases for today’s digital devices. Art and music develop an appreciation for beauty and aesthetics.

By Nick Sizemore

How many times have we heard the old cliché? “Education is important. It’s the key to success.” Undoubtedly, too many times to even fathom, probably having heard it repeated since that first bad grade in elementary school and every year after. I know that I did. Though, I never thought to question why. Why is education so important?

On the surface, the answer to the question is simple: Without an education a good job is hard to find. To an extent this is true, but how often have we met people who went to college and majored in a subject they didn’t end up going into? In that instance, the education, while a smart move in general, was for the wrong reasons. The same can be said of prisoners who obtain an education just so it looks good on the record at parole hearings or upon release. The issue is that, while it looks good, it most certainly won’t prevent the person from returning to prison. On the other hand, if the prisoner’s motivation for obtaining the education was sincere – and not simply to impress – then it will more than likely have a life-changing impact. It may very well keep them out of the revolving door back to prison.

By Ross Van Ness, Ed.D., Prof. Emeritus, Ball State University

A number of authors, including Dr. Jon Marc Taylor of Missouri, and Chris Zoukis of Virginia have done a more than adequate job of detailing the value of higher education to persons incarcerated in prisons. The reduction of recidivism, the contributions toward a career after release, and the shift in moral values resulting from higher education opportunities in prisons have been well documented. What has been less fully explained are the reasons higher education opportunities are so beneficial to offenders.