In Fall of 2022, Ithaka S+R launched a first-of-its-kind national survey on technology access in higher education in prison programs. The survey asked respondents about student access to technology in their Higher Education in Prison (HEP) program, focusing on four thematic areas: technological devices, learning management systems and software,…

This article describes the Brazilian juvenile justice system and the educational rights of incarcerated adolescents with learning disabilities, to discuss how and why they are "invisible" and deprived of adequate treatment for their specific needs. The main reasons reside (a) in the complex national legal structure of the juvenile…

"Deep visual listening and children's art during times of crisis" explores a way to understand children's art created amidst crisis as well as the meanings we can discern from it through the lens of the "Uncaged Art Tornillo Detention Center" exhibit. In 2018, the U.S. government opened a detention center to hold youth who…

Rising rates of incarceration in the United States and continuing use of the death penalty in over half of the states in the United States signal a need for more involvement of social workers in forensic roles to mitigate unjust sentencing. The National Association of Social Workers has consistently maintained a professional policy stance in…

The prison population is a growing problem in the United States, as the number of incarcerated individuals surpass those in larger countries. The sequence of students being pushed out of the classroom and into the prison system has been termed the preschool-to-prison pipeline (Mallett, 2016). While exploring possible strategies to help mitigate…

An estimated 30% of the incarcerated population does not participate in the educational programs offered within the target state penal education system. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of parolees towards the prison's education system and the problem of low participation by using a qualitative approach and conceptual…

Reentry programs are designed to help returning citizens successfully reenter society following their incarceration. Recidivism is a complex phenomenon, but research has shown certain practices and policies can reduce the tendency to reoffend. There is a need for continued development of evidence-based programs to reduce recidivism and social…

Scholars and policymakers alike have recognized mass incarceration and criminal recidivism as two of the most profound challenges American society faces. For more than half a century, the United States has been the world's most prominent incarcerator, boasting the highest incarceration rate and the third-highest recidivism rate, with analysts…

Motivating adolescents to read can be a challenge, but motivating incarcerated adolescents to read may be even more of a challenge. Developing readers in residential facilities are often overlooked by traditional classroom teachers, but much can be learned from incarcerated youth and their motivation and engagement. Unfortunately, there is a…

Background: Data from sex offender treatment programmes (SOTP) on the re-offending of convicted sex offenders from the prison service in England and Wales was recently reviewed and found to be associated with no change in sexual reoffending. While this result is at variance with a number of other reviews it does give rise to concern as most…

This article reports on an empirical study of a literature project at a special residential home for detained youth in Sweden. Informed by critical literacy, the study explored the ways in which versions of empowerment in relation to reading were performed in a 'critical space'. The ethnographic study was analytically inspired by the actor-network…

Background: Historically, the emotional lives and mental health needs of adults with learning disabilities received scant attention, especially when the policy of institutionalisation was at its zenith in the UK. Materials and Methods: This case study employed biographical narrative interviews based on a psychosocial approach. The main sources of…

The notion of socialization being a relevant and multidimensional construct has been demonstrated by the literature and reinforced in the present study. Socialization can be a difficult process, especially for certain types of people due to their personality and life experiences. Based on inmate research, being negatively labeled by others and…

Given the disproportional rates of youth with disabilities who are being incarcerated, it is important to ensure they are receiving a free appropriate public education (FAPE) as defined under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Based on the policies provided by the Office of Special Education Program (OSEP), we developed and implemented…

Young offenders' perceptions of their educational experiences are little researched not least because of methodological and ethical challenges. These include being difficult to access, questions on their reliability as interviewees and their 'doubly vulnerable' position, due to the secure locked context and their age. This article draws on…