NCJ Number
130780
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 50-55
Date Published
1991
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A review of the literature on crime and social education may be helpful to examine the priorities of correctional education for the next century as it refines its goals of causing positive change in students.
Abstract
There have generally been two schools of thought on the causes of criminal behavior. The classical school attributes crime to the deficits of an individual, while the positivist approach attributes crime to a variety of social and environmental factors. In recent years, there has been a shift from the positivist approach as reflected in the multitude of social programs aimed at reducing crime, to the classical view which has tried to identify the causes of low self-esteem among criminals. Correctional educators have also modified their perspective, realizing that offenders require more than literacy and vocational training. Social education is the curriculum and methodology that will allow offenders to reintegrate with the community. The goal for correctional education in the twenty-first century should be the development of a curriculum that meets offenders' vocational and social needs. This curriculum would require universal participation in social skill development followed by social problems instruction in parenting, substance abuse, and the nature of criminal seduction and self-control. The student could take courses to meet academic, vocational, and personal objectives following completion of this core curriculum. 13 references