Post-Secondary Education :
CEA Forums
This SIG is for discussing partnerships between higher education and correctional facilities. Teachers, students, and researchers are all encouraged to join. This SIG also serves to promote collaborations between college/university student organizations and local jails/prisons.
Post-Secondary Correctional Education: Unlocking Potential
Posted by:
Jerry Bednarowski
()
Date: January 19, 2012 10:27AM
Post-Secondary Correctional Education: Unlocking Potential
In May 2011, the Institute for Higher Education Policy released an Issue Brief authored by Laura E. Gorgol and Brian Sponsler. The brief entitled, Unlocking Potential: Results of a National Survey of Post-Secondary Education in State Prisons, was the result of a nation-wide survey of education programs for incarcerated individuals.
Forty-three states responded to the survey. CEA Executive Director Steve Steurer and members of CEA participated in the survey and provided valuable commentary on the provision of post-secondary education within prisons
For the purpose of the survey, Post-Secondary Education was defined as encompassing any academic or vocational coursework an incarcerated person takes beyond the high school diploma or equivalent that can be used toward a certificate or an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree.
Research suggests that 35 to 42 percent of correctional facilities offer some form of Post-Secondary Education (Erisman and Contardo 2005; Stephan 2008). For those who have participated in Post-Secondary Correctional Education, several positive post-release outcomes have been observed, including increased educational attainment levels, reduced recidivism rates, and improved post-release employment opportunities and earnings (Gaes 2008; Meyer et al. 2010; Winterfield et al. 2009).
Despite the positive outcomes associated with Post-Secondary Correctional Education, the brief authors observed that discussion of postsecondary opportunity for the nation’s prison population is notably absent from the top tier of state and federal policy agendas. They feel this lack of top-line policy attention to Post-Secondary Correctional Education is detrimental to the country — postsecondary education has a critical role to play in mitigating challenging social conditions exacerbated by high incarceration levels.
Designed to increase knowledge about how states are providing postsecondary education to incarcerated individuals, this brief summarizes the results of a national survey of state correctional education administrators and presents unique policy relevant information on the availability, administration, and funding of Post-Secondary Correctional Education in state prison systems. A central purpose of the brief is to elevate the policy attention paid to postsecondary opportunities for incarcerated persons.
Key Findings
Participating states reported approximately 71,000 persons enrolled in vocational or academic postsecondary education programs in prisons for academic year 2009-10; 6 percent of the incarcerated population in these states.
• Thirteen high-enrollment states accounted for 86 percent of all incarcerated postsecondary students in the state prison systems included in this study. Wisconsin was one of the high-enrollment states.
• Incarcerated students are not earning two- or four-year postsecondary degrees in significant numbers. Findings illustrate that three out of every four students were enrolled in a vocational or certificate program. Although all types of Post-Secondary Correctional Education are valuable, survey results indicate that most incarcerated students are not on an educational pathway likely to result in academic degree attainment.
• Postsecondary correctional education is delivered primarily through onsite instruction. Survey respondents reported logistical challenges associated with providing education in a prison and recommended technology as one way to improve the delivery of Post-Secondary Correctional Education.
• Security protocols and state statutes were identified as significant barriers to expanding the use of Internet technologies to support the delivery of postsecondary education in prisons.
• A critical challenge facing correctional education administrators is securing funding, a reality that may worsen in coming years because of the financial constraints of state budgets.
• Incarcerated students continue to be denied access to federal and state-based financial aid programs.
Because roughly 95 percent of incarcerated persons are expected to return to society, the authors believe that programs and initiatives designed to increase the likelihood of successful reentry are critical to individuals and to society at large. Postsecondary education has been identified as one factor that facilitates successful reentry. Positive post-release outcomes associated with participation in Post-Secondary Correctional Education include increased educational attainment, reduced recidivism rates, and improved employment opportunities and earnings (Gaes 2008; Meyer et al. 2010; Winterfield et al. 2009) — all factors that support broader policy goals of increasing national educational attainment, broadening the tax base, and reducing public expenditures.
Despite the alignment of Post-Secondary Correctional Education outcomes with national policy priorities and the known benefits of Post-Secondary Correctional Education for individuals, the survey of correctional education administrators reveals that incarcerated persons have limited postsecondary education opportunities, primarily because of federal and state policy choices.
Incarcerated persons are ineligible for nearly all federal and state need-based financial aid programs, are overwhelmingly enrolled in vocational and other nonacademic certificate programs, and are prohibited from taking advantage of Internet-based educational programs and resources. Although the political and moral rationales for Post-Secondary Correctional Education policies are diverse and complex, the outcome is that incarcerated persons have few options for education beyond the secondary level.
On the basis of the results and analysis of our survey, the authors offer three recommendations to facilitate effective policy innovations in the area of Post-Secondary Correctional Education. These recommendations are intended to advance public policy goals of increasing skill and educational acquisition for incarcerated persons and reducing unsustainably high recidivism rates.
Recommendations
1. To address capacity challenges that limit access to postsecondary education in prisons, federal and state statutes and regulations should be revised to support the development and expansion of Internet-based delivery of such education.
2. To increase educational attainment, support economic development, and make efficient use of limited public funding, postsecondary correctional education programs should be closely aligned with state postsecondary education systems and local workforce needs.
3. To support increased access to postsecondary education in prisons, federal and state statutes should be amended to make specific categories of incarcerated persons eligible for need-based financial aid.
The complete brief, Unlocking Potential: Results of a National Survey of Post-Secondary Education in State Prisons, may be found at: [www.ihep.org] May_2011
In May 2011, the Institute for Higher Education Policy released an Issue Brief authored by Laura E. Gorgol and Brian Sponsler. The brief entitled, Unlocking Potential: Results of a National Survey of Post-Secondary Education in State Prisons, was the result of a nation-wide survey of education programs for incarcerated individuals.
Forty-three states responded to the survey. CEA Executive Director Steve Steurer and members of CEA participated in the survey and provided valuable commentary on the provision of post-secondary education within prisons
For the purpose of the survey, Post-Secondary Education was defined as encompassing any academic or vocational coursework an incarcerated person takes beyond the high school diploma or equivalent that can be used toward a certificate or an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree.
Research suggests that 35 to 42 percent of correctional facilities offer some form of Post-Secondary Education (Erisman and Contardo 2005; Stephan 2008). For those who have participated in Post-Secondary Correctional Education, several positive post-release outcomes have been observed, including increased educational attainment levels, reduced recidivism rates, and improved post-release employment opportunities and earnings (Gaes 2008; Meyer et al. 2010; Winterfield et al. 2009).
Despite the positive outcomes associated with Post-Secondary Correctional Education, the brief authors observed that discussion of postsecondary opportunity for the nation’s prison population is notably absent from the top tier of state and federal policy agendas. They feel this lack of top-line policy attention to Post-Secondary Correctional Education is detrimental to the country — postsecondary education has a critical role to play in mitigating challenging social conditions exacerbated by high incarceration levels.
Designed to increase knowledge about how states are providing postsecondary education to incarcerated individuals, this brief summarizes the results of a national survey of state correctional education administrators and presents unique policy relevant information on the availability, administration, and funding of Post-Secondary Correctional Education in state prison systems. A central purpose of the brief is to elevate the policy attention paid to postsecondary opportunities for incarcerated persons.
Key Findings
Participating states reported approximately 71,000 persons enrolled in vocational or academic postsecondary education programs in prisons for academic year 2009-10; 6 percent of the incarcerated population in these states.
• Thirteen high-enrollment states accounted for 86 percent of all incarcerated postsecondary students in the state prison systems included in this study. Wisconsin was one of the high-enrollment states.
• Incarcerated students are not earning two- or four-year postsecondary degrees in significant numbers. Findings illustrate that three out of every four students were enrolled in a vocational or certificate program. Although all types of Post-Secondary Correctional Education are valuable, survey results indicate that most incarcerated students are not on an educational pathway likely to result in academic degree attainment.
• Postsecondary correctional education is delivered primarily through onsite instruction. Survey respondents reported logistical challenges associated with providing education in a prison and recommended technology as one way to improve the delivery of Post-Secondary Correctional Education.
• Security protocols and state statutes were identified as significant barriers to expanding the use of Internet technologies to support the delivery of postsecondary education in prisons.
• A critical challenge facing correctional education administrators is securing funding, a reality that may worsen in coming years because of the financial constraints of state budgets.
• Incarcerated students continue to be denied access to federal and state-based financial aid programs.
Because roughly 95 percent of incarcerated persons are expected to return to society, the authors believe that programs and initiatives designed to increase the likelihood of successful reentry are critical to individuals and to society at large. Postsecondary education has been identified as one factor that facilitates successful reentry. Positive post-release outcomes associated with participation in Post-Secondary Correctional Education include increased educational attainment, reduced recidivism rates, and improved employment opportunities and earnings (Gaes 2008; Meyer et al. 2010; Winterfield et al. 2009) — all factors that support broader policy goals of increasing national educational attainment, broadening the tax base, and reducing public expenditures.
Despite the alignment of Post-Secondary Correctional Education outcomes with national policy priorities and the known benefits of Post-Secondary Correctional Education for individuals, the survey of correctional education administrators reveals that incarcerated persons have limited postsecondary education opportunities, primarily because of federal and state policy choices.
Incarcerated persons are ineligible for nearly all federal and state need-based financial aid programs, are overwhelmingly enrolled in vocational and other nonacademic certificate programs, and are prohibited from taking advantage of Internet-based educational programs and resources. Although the political and moral rationales for Post-Secondary Correctional Education policies are diverse and complex, the outcome is that incarcerated persons have few options for education beyond the secondary level.
On the basis of the results and analysis of our survey, the authors offer three recommendations to facilitate effective policy innovations in the area of Post-Secondary Correctional Education. These recommendations are intended to advance public policy goals of increasing skill and educational acquisition for incarcerated persons and reducing unsustainably high recidivism rates.
Recommendations
1. To address capacity challenges that limit access to postsecondary education in prisons, federal and state statutes and regulations should be revised to support the development and expansion of Internet-based delivery of such education.
2. To increase educational attainment, support economic development, and make efficient use of limited public funding, postsecondary correctional education programs should be closely aligned with state postsecondary education systems and local workforce needs.
3. To support increased access to postsecondary education in prisons, federal and state statutes should be amended to make specific categories of incarcerated persons eligible for need-based financial aid.
The complete brief, Unlocking Potential: Results of a National Survey of Post-Secondary Education in State Prisons, may be found at: [www.ihep.org] May_2011
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.