Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults

by Lois M. Davis, Robert Bozick, Jennifer L. Steele

After conducting a comprehensive literature search, the authors undertook a meta-analysis to examine the association between correctional education and reductions in recidivism, improvements in employment after release from prison, and other outcomes. The study finds that receiving correctional education while incarcerated reduces inmates’ risk of recidivating and may improve their odds of obtaining employment after release from prison.

110 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2013

Reviews

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting study and survey of several of the major research efforts in the field over the last twenty or thirty years covering the effectiveness of various types of education during incarceration on offenders and whether or not it has an impact on their recidivism rates. To cut to the chase, it does. A huge impact both financially and noticeably. Offenders who have taken advantage of various types of educational opportunities tend to end up incarcerated at a rate almost 40% less often than those that don't. The report translates this into a dollars and cents and breaks the types of education down further into those Adult Basic Education (learning to read and ESL type skills), GED or high school diploma, vocational, and college courses applied towards an associates and a bachelors degree. The 40% figure that I cite is more or less an average, but for conversation that's the number to throw around because some of those programs have a larger impact than others.