Throughout the field of corrections in the United States, the prevalent question regarding reentry preparation of offenders is, "What works?" The RAND Corporation in 2014 published a comprehensive review of correctional education programs and reported that offenders involved in education programs were significantly more likely to realize…

Understanding the elements of educational success for adult English language learners (ELLs) is an important priority for correctional educators, especially today with an increased population of non-English speaking students in correctional schools throughout the country. There is a dearth of information, however, about incarcerated adult ELLs and…

Some or all of the pre-release educational and vocational programs that are offered in state and federal prisons are free. Though these inmates are required to participate in these programs before they re-enter society, their attitudes regarding their participation in these programs are mixed. This study reveals literature of what attitudes some…

Based on screenings of 1,150 manuscripts, we synthesize evidence from 18 eligible studies of educational interventions implemented within juvenile correctional facilities. The studies include 5 intervention categories: remedial academic instruction, computer-assisted instruction, personalized academic instruction, vocational education, and GED…

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe how inmate students incarcerated in an Alabama Department of Correctional Services (ADOC) work release facility, and who are enrolled in a prison-based GED program, perceive the role of education in curtailing criminal activity among prisoners who are released back into society.…

This study explores schooling in prison for young Chicano bilingual men as they work toward their GED. Using Gee's notion of "mushfaking," the study focuses on the experiences of two young men, Benny and Flaco, who partially acquire, use, value, and believe in the power of academic register Discourses for "sounding smart" in a…

Correctional education's primary goal is to reduce recidivism and increase employment among ex-offenders. The Bureau of Prison's practical goal in its mandatory GED program is to maximize the number of inmates obtaining the GED in a given time period. The purpose of this research is to model the number of instructional hours an inmate requires to…

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides adult literacy services to one-fifth of adults enrolled in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program in the United States. The adult education program addresses literacy needs of individuals by providing adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to (a) gain employment or…

In this study, the authors explore correlates of engagement in postsecondary educational programs (including technical/trade schools, 2-year colleges, and 4-year colleges) among young men who served mandatory probation camp sentences as juveniles. A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted with a sample of 75 men (average age of 20.5) who…

Correctional educators, recognizing that the majority of inmates lack the math, reading, and language skills required to be successful in today's workplace, strive to equip offenders with the skills and abilities needed to find and maintain work on their release. However, most adult literacy programs in prisons fail to raise the gradelevel…

The purpose of this study was to explore the beliefs and perceptions of some of the stakeholders directly involved in a GED® program located in a county jail. The researchers investigated the perspectives of the jail's Chief of Programming, GED® supervisor, teachers, and inmates participating in the program. Although gathering data from the…

This article reports on the development and implementation of a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program in a county jail system in New York State. The program is funded through the Carl D. Perkins Career & Technical Education Act, which reserves a pocket of funds for individuals in county correctional institutions. This program integrated…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two adult basic reading programs, Direct Instruction Corrective Reading Decoding and Laubach Literacy, on the reading achievement of incarcerated male adults (n = 27) in an Alabama prison. Participants were tutors and students taking part in a reading tutoring program at the facility. The…

Research on incarceration and educational access continues to reveal the stark reality for many adjudicated youth: without access to educational opportunities recidivism is probable. Yet conventional methods of teaching critical reading, writing, and thinking skills are not always successful for juveniles who have found little success (or hope) in…

Prisons are intended to rehabilitate criminal offenders, as well as to punish and incapacitate them. The education and training systems operating within most prisons are a key component of the rehabilitation mission of prisons. Previous studies have shown a relationship between participation in educational programs and recidivism rates, with…