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
