US: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education

27th August 2013

A new research report by the RAND Corporation, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults, has found that engagement with educational and vocational programmes in prison reduces recidivism and increases the likelihood of employment post-release.

"The findings, from the largest-ever meta-analysis of correctional educational studies, suggest that prison education programs are cost effective, with a $1 investment in prison education reducing incarceration costs by $4 to $5 during the first three years post-release."

Key findings:

• Correctional education improves inmates' chances of not returning to prison.
• Inmates who participate in correctional education programs had a 43 percent lower odds of recidivating than those who did not. This translates to a reduction in the risk of recidivating of 13 percentage points.
• It may improve their chances of obtaining employment after release. The odds of obtaining employment post-release among inmates who participated in correctional education was 13 percent higher than the odds for those who did not participate in correctional education.
• Inmates exposed to computer-assisted instruction learned slightly more in reading and substantially more in math in the same amount of instructional time.
• Providing correctional education can be cost-effective when it comes to reducing recidivism.

Read more:

• Press Release: 'Education and Vocational Training in Prisons Reduces Recidivism, Improves Job Outlook'
• Research Brief: How Effective is Correctional Education?
• Research Report: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education