The Need for College Programs in Federal Prisons By LouAnn Blacketer, PhD Analyst for The Federal Prison Policy Project

With the education courses being eliminated and there being no rehabilitation associated with federal prison, Federal Prison Policy Project believes the need for college programs to be essential in preparing prisoners for re-entry into our communities. This article reflects our beliefs and is authored by Federal Prison Policy Project's Analyst who is also a college professor.

(PRWEB) July 14, 2005 -- In 1996 I taught a college-level course in a Federal Correctional Institute for our local community college. I had 25 students in my FCI anthropology class. Not only did they have to meet college entry requirements and prerequisites, but they also had to meet prison requirements. The bar was set high, and they all rose to meet the expectations. Most in the class had earned a GED after entering prison. They had to take placement tests before beginning college-level work; if they didnt receive passing scores, they had to take remedial classes. They had to be in good-standing behaviorally in the facility because taking college classes was a privilege. Federal Pell Grants provided the bulk of funding for their college work, but each student had to pay a token amount for each class from their personal funds. A few dollars per class is a lot of money for someone who earns a few cents per hour.

My prison college class was the best academic group of students Ive ever had. They all attended class regularly, they all completed the reading prior to class, they all completed their work and turned it in on time; they all participated in class with very thoughtful, insightful discussion. They were all polite, helpful, and very appreciative. All of my students were average or above average intelligence, and they were all starved for learning opportunities and intelligent conversation and stimulation. When I relate this experience to others they always respond with condescending remarks: the prisoners didnt have anything else to do; they were manipulating me; they were trying to earn more privileges. I reply by stating the obvious: they all had jobs and had to do their homework during their free time; students should be polite in my classroom; and theres nothing wrong with bettering oneself. Ben, a student in my class, told me that hed like to earn a PhD while in prison if he could. Hed already earned over 20 hours of credit towards his associates degree. He was extremely intelligent and well-qualified to pursue his desire to earn an engineering degree.

Ben never got to finish. The next semester college programs were dropped in the facility because without knowing the facts, in 1994 Congress eliminated Pell Grant eligibility for inmates. The funding was no longer available for college programs. Men who were hours away from completing their degrees couldnt finish. By the time most are released from prison, the credit they did earn will no longer be accepted by most colleges because it will be over ten years old. Upon their release, if they can manage to go back to college, theyll have to start all over again.

Every article written about prisons now contains the staggering statistic: over 2.1 million people incarcerated in the United States. There are over 184,000 Federal inmates. According to a 2003 U.S. Department of Justice report, only 27% of Federal inmates had received a high school diploma. In 1991, when Pell Grants were still available for inmates, 18.8% had attained some postsecondary or college training. In 1997, after Pell Grant eligibility was eliminated for inmates, postsecondary or college training for federal inmates dropped to 15.8%. The Justice Department reports that 57% of Federal inmates participate in educational programs. The desire to learn is clearly demonstrated, but from 1991 to 1997, Federal inmates taking college courses dropped from 18.9% to 12.9%. Although statistics are not available after 1997, its been almost twelve years since Pell Grants were removed from prisons; I think its safe to assume that the number of Federal inmates taking college courses is below the 1997 13% level. In order for inmates to take college courses now, they or their families must privately pay for the courses, most taken through correspondence. While this makes college financially unobtainable for most inmates, it is also risky for those who can afford it because books and mail have a habit of disappearing in the prison mailrooms. Its easy to sabotage an inmates efforts to earn college credit.

There are thousands of Federal inmates who are willing and able to pursue college degrees. Every study done on recidivism clearly demonstrates that recidivism is drastically reduced when inmates attain higher levels of education, especially college. A study of recidivism in Texas in 2000 by The Criminal Justice Policy Council showed that rates correlated with educational attainment, with higher academic levels indicating lower recidivism rates. Vocational certificates did not lower recidivism rates because most inmates could not find a job in their areas of training upon release. According to James Gilligan in Reflections From a Life Behind Bars: Build Colleges, Not Prisons," over a 25-year time span in Massachusetts, not one inmate who earned a bachelors degree while incarcerated returned to prison for a new offense. In College Education and Recidivism: Educating Criminals Meritorious," in the Journal of Correctional Education (Sept., 1997), Alabama reported that only 1% of inmates who completed college degrees while incarcerated returned, compared to a recidivism rate of 35% for the general prison population. Statistics from across the United States all indicate the same results. College education, and especially the attainment of degrees, drastically reduces recidivism. Return on investment studies all indicate tremendous cost savings by providing college opportunities to inmates and reducing recidivism. Studies also indicate that prison milieus are more manageable and safer when there are more educational opportunities.

The need is clearly there. Children who dont finish high school are at risk of entering the criminal justice system. The motivation is clearly demonstrated. People who are incarcerated are interested and highly motivated to better themselves and take advantage of academic opportunities. Savings in tax dollars are clearly demonstrated: education is cheaper than incarceration. Incentives, positive reinforcement, and skills training help maintain safer prisons.

Managing behavior requires a calm and informed approach; it requires that a steady course be maintained; and it requires time and opportunity for people to do the right thing. Reinstating Pell Grants to prison inmates is a good step in a positive direction. Grants for inmates who started their college degrees but were unable to complete them before their release due to the misinformed actions of Congress, would also be a cost-effective, positive approach to assist ex-offenders in rebuilding their lives. Building opportunities and building lives while saving money in the process makes much more sense than continually pouring money into a punitive penal system that does little to improve individuals or make communities safer by helping ex-offenders become productive citizens.

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