By Katherine Sellgren / BBC News Image courtesy bbc.uk.co Inmates are allowed 12 books in their cell but new privileges regulations, introduced last year, stopped them receiving parcels, including books. The Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) is urging ministers to improve access to books and materials to assist learning. Prisons minister Andrew Selous said he was
By Aaron Schrank Wyoming’s prison system boasts the second-best recidivism rate in the country. Twenty-five percent of offenders in the state will return to prison for a parole violation or new crime—compared to 40 percent nationally. The Wyoming Department of Corrections credits its education programs—including a mandatory G.E.D course for all inmates without a high
By Christopher Zoukis Image courtesy www.prisoneducationproject.org-
A National Network of Prison Education Programs
The 1980s were a period of expansion for prison education programs. Through the vehicle of federal financial assistance, inmates were able to enroll in vocational and college courses in their prisons, programs offered through community colleges and state universities alike. For a period, prisoners had a meaningful chance at learning a quality trade or even earning an associate’s or bachelor’s college degree during their term of imprisonment. Over 350 in-prison college programs flourished, with professors teaching classes “live,” in the prisons.
The Collapse: Congress Slams the Door on Education in Prison
All of this came to a screeching halt with the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The Act, a component of the anti-prison education agenda pushed in Congress and the Senate, imposed a ban on inmates receiving any form of federal financial aid to assist them in the pursuit of an education. With the slashed funding, nearly every externally supported prison education program in the nation shut down, and the result was an increase in prisoner unrest, violence, and recidivism. Colleges, prisoners, and prison administrators alike objected, and loudly so, but their pleas fell upon deaf ears.
Advocates for eliminating Pell Grants and other need-based financial assistance for prisoners claimed that those incarcerated shouldn’t be given government funding to pursue education. They advanced an agenda asserting that prisoners were taking funding away from traditional college students — a patently false assertion — and that offering college to inmates was a reward for crime. Some even had the gall to suggest that people were committing crimes in order to go to prison, where they could obtain a college education. It was a political firestorm like no other, and one based on emotion, not fact, logic, or empirical research.
In 2012, Florida established the first online high school within a correctional facility. In 2014, it celebrated the success of that pilot program by extending it to a total of seven prisons across the state. Still, the only program of its kind, Florida’s experiment demonstrates one potential strategy for improving the educational opportunities available to
Prison education is a controversial subject due to strong emotions on both sides of the issue. But it’s also an issue that has been the subject of a significant amount of published research — all of which supports the education of prisoners. According to the research, prison education has a marked effect on reducing recidivism,
Prison is one of the most un-fun places one can live and work. Preschools are all about fun. But both are about preparing people for the real world. Brian argues that we can unlock the future of prison education by relearning the lessons of preschool. Brian leads the offender education program for Peninsula College at
While it is still early yet, I have an announcement to make concerning my book Education Behind Bars: A Win-Win Strategy for Maximum Security. As you know, Sunbury Press published this title in early 2012 to rave reviews from the prison presses. Since its publication, we’ve been approached by several publishers enthusiastic about giving this
As all of you know, several months ago, I signed a contract with McFarland and Company for my book on college for prisoners, College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons. This book presents the current state of prison education, the reasons why policymakers and the American public should support higher education
Name: Windham School District Associated Educational Institution: Itself Associated Prison: 89 Separate Prisons Website: https://wsdtx.org/ Mailing Address: P.O. Box 40 804 Bldg. B, FM 2821 West Huntsville, TX 77320 Phone Number: (936) 291-5300 Fax Number: (936) 291-5300 Email Address: [email protected], Contact Forms Available on Website Point of Contact: Not Publicly Available Social Media: Texas Prison