Mandatory Education In Prisons

What would be the point of incarceration if the individuals behind bars didn’t actually learn to reform their behaviors? This might seem like a logical question, however, it is a problem that America faces with its legal system today. The programs that exist in prisons are mainly focused on physical work and seem to be closer to slavery rather than reform. In modern penitentiaries, prisoners are expected to serve their time while being reformed and readied for acclimation back into society. American citizens cannot expect a former inmate to assimilate back into society if they haven’t actually learned any skills that enable them to do so. Mandatory education programs in today’s prisons are crucial because they lower the rate of recidivism, the programs are easily accessible while still saving the state money, and they make full time jobs much more attainable for former inmates. Various studies that date back to the early twentieth century show a link between education and the deterrence of crime. A study done by the Office of Correctional Education, titled the Three State Recidivism Study, collected data about 3,200 inmates released from prisons from 1997 …show more content…
This was shown in a study that followed offenders released from a prison in Minnesota between 2007 and 2008. The study found that prisoners who had obtained a secondary degree while in prison increased their chances of securing a job within 2 years of being released by 59%. These odds were even greater for younger offenders, which shows how pertinent prison education is especially for the younger population. As described by Grant Duwe and Valerie Clark in their article in The Prison Journal, “expanding the availability of education for prisoners would be in step with the ever-increasing educational demands from