Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-state analysis of postsecondary education policy

1. Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-state analysis of postsecondary education policy Wendy Erisman Institute for Higher Education Policy Washington, DC

2. Part of Larger Research Agenda • To look at subgroups facing unique barriers to accessing higher education • Disabled Students • Foster Youth • Immigrant Students • Working Poor • Rural Students • LGBT Students

3. Prisoners in the U.S. • 1.5 million adults incarcerated in state and federal prisons as of December 2004 • Prisoners are disproportionately: • Male • Racial/ethnic minorities • Impoverished • Group that has been poorly served by educational system

4. Educational Attainment of Prisoners

5. Why Offer Higher Education to Prisoners? • Fewer disciplinary problems • Improved self-esteem and critical thinking • Can become role models for their children • Increased employment prospects • Reduced recidivism

6. Higher Education and Recidivism • More than half of released prisoners return to prison within 3 years • Studies show that taking college classes while in prison reduces recidivism by 46% on average • Reduced recidivism lowers incarceration costs • $30 billion annually as of 2001

7. Research Questions • What is the current status of higher education in American prisons? • What barriers are preventing prisoners from gaining access to higher education? • What innovative efforts are helping prisoners gain access to higher education?

8. Methods • Quantitative • Survey of correctional education administrators • 45 states and Federal Bureau of Prisons responded • 90% response rate • Qualitative • Open-Ended Survey Question • Follow-Up Telephone Interviews • Review of Incarcerated Youth Offender Reports • Focus Group with Prisoners in Virginia

9. Status of Higher Education in American Prisons 2003-04 • 44 of 46 responding prison systems offered some higher education for inmates • At least 85,491 prisoners took college classes during 2003-04 • 5% of total prison population • 11% of prisoners with GED or high school diploma • Similar to percentage enrolled prior to loss of Pell Grants in 1994

10. Uneven Participation • 15 prison systems: • Incarcerated 66% of all prisoners • Enrolled 89% of inmate-students • Granted 96% of degrees and certificates • Key factor: • Strong institutional and state support for correctional education

11. Higher Enrollment Prison Systems

12. Average Enrollment 2003-04

13. Degree and Certificate Programs 2003-04

14. Completions 2003-04

15. Vocational Education • 62% of prisoners taking classes for college credit were enrolled in vocational programs • 92% of those who earned a credential in 2003-04 earned a vocational certificate

16. Eligibility Factors

17. Sources of Instruction

18. Means of Instruction

19. Funding Sources • Federal Incarcerated Youth Offender Grants (IYO) • State Appropriations • Inmate Self-Payment • State Grants for Low-Income Students • Scholarships/Donations

20. Funding by Enrollment

21. Barriers to Access • Inadequate funding • IYO restrictions • Limited funds • Per student spending cap • Age limit • Lack of support from state officials • Inmate self-funding impractical

22. Barriers to Access • Poor academic preparation • Logistical problems • Security protocols • Remote locations • Difficulties hiring/retaining instructors • Prison overcrowding • Involuntary transfer of inmates

23. Barriers to Access • Structural/organizational barriers • Staff resentment • Obstructive policies • Competing priorities • Lack of public support

24. Innovative ProgramsTexas • Legislature required that prisoners reimburse state for educational costs • Repayment after release • Payment plan negotiated with parole officer • Over $1.1 million repaid

25. Innovative ProgramsMinnesota • Lost all state funding for academic higher education programs • Created private foundation to raise funds • Board includes Commissioner of Corrections and a community college president • Funds raised go to consortium of colleges that provide classes in state prisons

26. Innovative ProgramsNew Mexico • Small prison system/large area • Web-based distance education via secure connection from single university to multiple prisons • All state prisons have computer labs and offer the same classes • Each prison also has a trained coordinator to assist inmate-students

27. Innovative ProgramsNorth Carolina • High enrollments/high completions • Partnership between corrections and community college system • Shared costs • Steering committee meets regularly • Matrix based on length of average sentence determines which facilities offer which programs

28. Policy Recommendations • Additional funding is needed • Reinstate Pell Grants for inmates • Expand IYO program and raise age limit • Increase state appropriations • Ensure that state colleges and universities receive formula funding • Make inmates eligible for state grants • Seek additional private resources

29. Policy Recommendations • State-level support is essential • Encourage close relationships among key state agencies • Build partnerships with colleges/universities • Develop supportive state/institutional policies • Policymakers and public need education • Publicize successful outcomes • Emphasize inmate accountability

30. Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-state analysis of postsecondary education policy Funded by the Ford Foundation Report available for download at http://www.ihep.org