NCJ Number
146963
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 57 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 34-40
Date Published
1993
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study to determine the impact of college education on inmates' attitudes toward life and their future.
Abstract
The survey instruments were self-administered questionnaires composed to three sections. The first section consisted of demographic characteristics of the respondents. The second section was divided into two parts. One part consisted of 12 statements designed to measure the effectiveness of college education in changing inmates' attitudes toward life. The other part consisted of eight statements that measured inmate' attitudes toward the role of such education programs in preventing recidivism. Section three contained an open-ended question to solicit inmates' opinions on education in prisons. A total of 158 usable questionnaires were analyzed. The survey results show that most inmates believed that their behavior can change for the better through college education. The author recommends that governments continue financial contributions to college courses for inmates and that colleges and universities increase their involvement in prison education programs. He concludes that the proper training and education of inmates will result in a mutual benefit for both released inmates and society. Inmates will benefit from positive socialization, and society will benefit from the ex- offender's new constructive contributions and reduced criminal justice costs. 13 references