Report to the Solicitor General of Canada Concerning the Educational Program of the Canadian Corrections Service - Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 74478
• Author(s): B E Curtis; A M Thomas
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 39 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Canada Solicitor General
• Corporate Author: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: Phase 2 Report

Annotation

An executive summary of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education's analysis of the programs of inmate education and vocational training throughout the Canadian Corrections Service is presented; recommendations are emphasized.

Abstract

Goals of the institute's project included establishing the groundwork for a 5-year plan for educational and training programs for inmates of Federal penitentiaries, identifying problems requiring professional educational research, encouraging university faculties to develop courses in teaching methods for penitentiary teachers, and stimulating interests in the subject of inmate education and training on the part of academics. Internal assessment of the existing educational program, study, extensive penitentiary visits, and report presentation were part of the institute's efforts. The review team concludes that an integrated, demonstrable body of theory and practice about the effective rehabilitation of imprisoned offenders does not exist. Education is one of those approaches which holds promise of rehabilitation for some prisoners and hope of amelioration for many more. At present, this potential is undervalued, and the positive aspects of educational activity are dissipated or ignored. Little potentially productive use is made of nearly half of the average prisoner's time. It is recommended that the commissioner of corrections establish an educational advisory committee which would function according to the specifications included in this report. A long term goal of 20-percent expenditures for education is not an unreasonable framework for the committee. In addition, specialized programs in vocational training should be assessed by experienced citizens who could also help with problems of employment after release. In one province, the corrections service should experiment with the creation of its own college which would provide college-level programs to all regional correctional institutions. Footnotes and appendixes of related material are included.