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In June 30, 2004, 2,131,180 prisoners were being held in federal or state prisons or in local jails in the United States, compared with 1,585,586 in 1995. (On October 27, 1999 — the most recent date for which data are available — 134,011 youth were being held in 2,939 facilities.) This portion of the U.S. population reports a much lower educational attainment than the general population. An estimated 40% of state prison inmates, 27% of federal inmates, 47% of inmates in local jails and 31% of those serving probation sentences have not completed high school or its equivalent, compared to about 18% of the general population. The differences are just as dramatic for postsecondary attainment, with 2.4% of state prisoners, 8.1% of federal prisoners and 3.2% of local jail inmates having attained a college degree, compared with 22% of the general population.
In part as an attempt to improve the relatively abysmal educational attainment levels of their inmates and to improve their prospects for employment upon release, it is common for correctional institutions to offer educational programs to their inmates. Over 90% of state prisons, all federal prisons and almost 90% of private prisons offer such programs. Sixty percent of local jails also provide educational programs, despite their typically short period of time prisoners spend in them. The most common types of programs are in secondary and basic adult education, although other common programs include special education, vocational training and study release programs.
While the rate has decreased since 1991, participation in correctional education programs remains common, with 52% of state prison inmates and 57% of federal prison inmates reporting participation. Despite the drop in the percentage of inmates participating in programs, the overall number has risen from 1991 to 1997. In 1991, 402,500 inmates were educated in state prisons and 36,200 in federal prisons, compared to 550,000 in state prisons and 50,300 in federal prisons in 1997.
Some states recently have sought to encourage prisoners to take advantage of educational programs while incarcerated. For example, Illinois enacted legislation in 2005 that awards 60 days of good conduct credit to a prisoner who earns a high school diploma or receives a General Education Development (GED) certificate while incarcerated. West Virginia enacted similar legislation in 2001, and Arizona enacted legislation in 2000 that required forfeiture of earned release credits for inmates who failed to earn a GED while in custody.
The overall results of correctional education programs are still being debated. Proponents of corrections education maintain there is inherent value in educating prisoners and the practical benefits include reducing recidivism rates and increasing prisoners' wages once they are released, which over the long term end up saving states more money through increased taxable wages and fewer prisoners to house and feed. Skeptics are frequently critical of the methodologies of studies seeking to find a link between correctional education programs and reduced recidivism and question the wisdom of expending finite resources on prisoner education in times of tight state budgets.
Juvenile Justice Education and No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
NCLB's requirements regarding highly qualified teachers and adequate yearly progress extend to — and present unique challenges to — juvenile justice education programs with high staff turnover rates and highly mobile student populations.
By providing federal funds to improve educational services, Title I, Part D is intended to provide children and youth in local and state institutions for neglected or delinquent children the opportunity to meet the same challenging academic content and achievement standards expected of other children. It also provides services to youth transitioning from an institution to further schooling or employment, youth at risk of dropping out and dropouts.
Part D requires that juvenile justice schools be assessed using multiple and appropriate measures of student progress, that schools should be monitored and that technical assistance be provided to schools as determined by the results of the evaluations. States are required to use the results of their evaluations to plan and improve their juvenile justice education systems.
Sources
Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, No Child Left Behind in Juvenile Justice Education: Report to the Legislature, February 2005.
U.S. Department of Justice, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2004, April 2005.
U.S. Department of Justice, Prison Statistics, accessed September 28, 2005.
Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program, 2004 Annual Report, 2004.
U.S. Department of Justice, Juveniles in Corrections, June 2004.
U.S. Department of Justice, Education and Correctional Populations, January 2003.
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Corrections Education
