Post-Secondary Education Effects on Recidivism

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This paper will argue that post-secondary education is the most effective method of rehabilitation in American prisons. Education is not only cost-effective; it also has proven long-lasting effects on recidivism, employment, and personal growth. The majority of offenders in the American prison system are non-violent perpetrators, many of whom lack the resources for post-secondary education. By providing easily accessible education, offenders will have greater job prospects upon release and an improved sense of morality in connection to social values. Such a system must be slowly integrated into both federal and state prisons nation-wide. Implementation will be assisted by the use of electronic surveillance to monitor inmates, providing them a safer environment and access to the internet for research. In addition to this, online university programs will be used by the inmates to enable studying at recognized institutions. Grants, government-funded loans and public sponsorship are all necessary to provide the monetary funds needed to offer low-income offenders the opportunity to improve their quality of life through education. Access to post-secondary education is essential to improve the lives of non-violent offenders in the American justice system.

Education has been proven to reduce recidivism rates and increase the success of an offender’s re-integration into society. In a study conducted in 1994 by the American Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly half of the 302,309 released offenders surveyed in fifteen different states were convicted of a new crime within three years of their release. This data shows that prison fails to properly rehabilitate offenders, since after prison ex-convicts continue to live in a way th...

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...and reentry. Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2009. Web.
Esperian, John H. "The Effect of Prison Education Programs on Recidivism." Journal of Correctional Education 61.4 (2010): 316-334. ProQuest. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Martin, Lori L. “Debt to Society: Asset Poverty and Prisoner Reentry.” The Review of Black Political Economy 38.2 (June 2011): 131-143. Springer Link. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Pryor, Marie, and Douglas E. Thompkins. "The Disconnect between Education and Social Opportunity for the Formerly Incarcerated." American Journal of Criminal Justice 38.3 (2013): 457-79. ProQuest. Web. 2 Nov. 2013
Vacca, James S. “Educated Prisoners Are Less Likely to Return to Prison.” Journal of Correctional Education 55.4 (December 2004): 297-305. ProQuest. Web. 2. Nov 2013.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/09/why-prisoner-education-key-reducing-crime/6812/

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