There are 2.26 million adults incarcerated in U.S. prisons (world’s highest incarceration rate), and each year more than 700,000 leave federal and state prisons and try to integrate back into society. Unfortunately, within three years, 40 percent will be re-incarcerated. One reason for this is that these ex-criminals lack the knowledge, training, and skills to support a successful return to communities…
Some would argue that prison education creates more educated criminals so why should we help them? How do we know criminals will make use of their education opportunities if they didn’t before? Why should criminals benefit, if this was the road they chose?
These are common moral questions that I have no answers to because you can either be bitter or you can act on helping others to benefit yourself. What I am trying to say is that implementing correctional education for prisoners can benefit you.
We do not know whether criminals will make use of the educational opportunities, but if we do provide educational opportunities for them it will save money for us in the long run. Studies have proven that by providing education for criminals it will decrease recidivism rates. In California in 2008, it cost the state an average of $47,102 a year to incarcerate an inmate in state prison. The more education given to the prisoners, the less likely they will be sent back to prison, and the more money we save.
According to Rand Corporation (a policy research institution), “inmates who participate in correctional education programs had a 43 percent lower chance of recidivating than those who did not…” And according to California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, “ninety-five percent of California state prison inmates will be released to society. The average offender in California prisons reads at an eighth-grade level.” Education will help prisoners integrate into society. They are more likely to get a job and contribute to society in a positive way if they can read and write. It will keep them away from crimes if they move up in society. Prisoners without education are more likely to commit crimes and end up back in prison, which in turn will end up costing us more money. Let’s help put an end to recidivism, if not for the prisoners’ sake, than for our own sake.
Text & art by: Vanessa Lee
Jam the Revolving Door 