NCJ Number
144914
Editor(s)
R R Blair,
W Jones
Date Published
1993
Length
66 pages
Annotation
This 1991 conference identified two principal concerns governing the role of higher education in corrections, appropriate education for inmates and training and education for correctional staff.
Abstract
The first conference presentation examined the context of higher education programs for inmates. The authors argued that processes in institutions of higher education that reproduce class stratification in society have their counterparts in prison programs where education appropriate for inmates is designed. Prison programs may not alter the social status of participants but they offer opportunities for personal growth, and higher education is essential in reintegrating inmates into society. Another conference presentation focused on the need for correctional educators and administrators to alert the public to the potential benefits of providing secondary education for inmates. This paper identified threats to correctional education, including the elimination of Pell grants for inmates and the lack of support for inmate education among correctional employees and officials. Other presentations explored the efficacy of inmate education in terms of personal growth and recidivism, historical and legal factors in upgrading educational requirements for correctional personnel, the value of staff education in offender supervision, and model programs designed to provide quality inservice training and education for criminal justice agencies. References