Correctional Education

Featured

Reentry Essentials: An Overview of Employment and Correctional Education

People who have been incarcerated earn 40 percent less annually than they had earned prior to incarceration and are likely to have less upward economic mobility over time than those who have not been incarcerated, according to a 2010 report from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison

January 15, 2019

Efforts to build robust postsecondary education programs in prison have accelerated in recent years, with support from a broad range of groups, from correctional officers to college administrators. This report describes how lifting the current ban on awarding Pell Grants to incarcerated people would benefit workers, employers, and states.

Improving Education in Juvenile Correctional Facilities

The reports listed in this post provide strategies and recommendations to ensure that all youth are provided a safe and engaging learning environment; have access to highly qualified teachers who have opportunities for ongoing professional development; and are taught a rigorous curriculum aligned with state standards.

NRRC Projects

Second Chance Act Adult Reentry and Employment Programs

This grant program helps state, local government agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes to establish programs to train individuals in prisons, jails, or juvenile residential facilities for technology-based jobs and careers.

Improving College and Career Readiness for Youth and Young Adults in the Justice System

The project works to identify policy and practice barriers to meeting the education and vocational needs of youth and young adults in the juvenile justice system, and to offer strategies for improving outcomes for these young people.

Key Resources

Locked Out: Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth

National Reentry Resource Center

This issue brief provides state and local policymakers with policy and practice recommendations to improve college and career readiness for incarcerated youth.

How Effective is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here?

RAND Corporation

This publication provides the results of a comprehensive evaluation on the state of correctional education programs for adults and juveniles. It includes a meta-analysis on correctional education’s effects on recidivism and post-employment outcomes for adults, as well as a synthesis of research on programs for youth.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: What Corrections and Reentry Agencies Need to Know

National Reentry Resource Center

This fact sheet provides corrections and reentry agencies with an overview of how WIOA funds can support employment and education services for people in the justice system and those who are returning to their communities after incarceration.

Highlights from the U.S. PIAAC Survey of Incarcerated Adults: Their Skills, Work Experience, Education, and Training

National Center for Education Statistics

The U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Survey of Incarcerated Adults was designed to provide policymakers, administrators, educators, and researchers with information to improve educational and training opportunities for incarcerated adults and foster skills they need in order to return to, and work successfully in, society upon release from prison. This report highlights data from the survey’s extensive background questionnaire and direct assessments of cognitive skills.

A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections

U.S. Department of Education

This guide from the U.S. Department of Education describes the development of a correctional education reentry model illustrating an education continuum to bridge the gap between prison and community-based education and training programs. The goal of this model is to ensure that people leaving incarceration can gain the knowledge and skills needed to obtain long-term, living-wage employment and transition successfully out of the corrections system. It is based on a review of research studies and feedback from a panel of experts, including practitioners, administrators, and researchers in the fields of corrections and education.

Correctional Education

Featured

Reentry Essentials: An Overview of Employment and Correctional Education

Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison

Improving Education in Juvenile Correctional Facilities

NRRC Projects

Second Chance Act Adult Reentry and Employment Programs

Improving College and Career Readiness for Youth and Young Adults in the Justice System

Key Resources

Locked Out: Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth

How Effective is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here?

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: What Corrections and Reentry Agencies Need to Know

Highlights from the U.S. PIAAC Survey of Incarcerated Adults: Their Skills, Work Experience, Education, and Training

A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections

Webinars

What Works to Promote Educational Success for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth

Education and the World of Work: Anchors to a Strong Juvenile Reentry Plan

Relevant Organizations

CLASP

College and Community Fellowship

Correctional Education Association

U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education

U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid–Students with Criminal Convictions