In this chapter, I argue that prison education is dangerous. In a context where individual incarcerated people have restricted autonomy, non-incarcerated students, staff, and faculty from colleges and universities can cause real harm by neglecting to consider the vast power differentials between non- or never-incarcerated educators and students in…

This qualitative narrative study shares the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated women, their reintegration into the community, and their journey to and through college. The eight participants span between 25 and 64 years of age, have spent varying lengths of time incarcerated, and are now either in college or recent graduates of both public…

Transitioning back into society successfully after incarceration comes with its downfalls, but educational support could potentially address transitional success, especially for formerly incarcerated women. Previous research mainly focused on exploring education options and recidivism outcomes for formerly incarcerated men. There is limited…

As criminological perspectives of youth justice shift from rehabilitative ideals to desistance frameworks whereby young people assume a central role in their own identity-development and relationships with others, child-centred approaches that afford youth with agency and voice have been seen as increasingly important. However, noting that…

Recidivism rates across the world remain high, and one of the key reasons for this situation is that people leaving the prison system have great difficulty in securing employment. Addressing this issue must be explored from a broad perspective, but one potential career option that is under-explored is self-employment, with few entrepreneurship…

Project Rebound works to support currently and formerly incarcerated people to enter higher education. As Project Rebound continues to grow, gain national acclaim, and traction within California State University (CSU), it is critical that higher education practitioners reflect on the program's evolution, successes, and challenges not only to fully…

Corrections education (CE) faculty Lauren Zavrel reflects on the vacuum of graduate-level programs and professional development (PD) that prepare teachers for the specific work of teaching adults in prisons and jails. Citing her own unique journey into the field of CE, similar stories from colleagues, and literature on the topic, she argues that…

Individuals released from prison often struggle to begin their lives again. Finding employment and acceptable housing may be at the top of their To Do lists but the list of requirements may not stop there. Hefty fines or rigorous probation requirements are often part of one's reentry experience. Others may wish to seek training or educational…

The California State University (CSU) Project Rebound is a re-entry program that provides educational, social, financial, and case management to formerly incarcerated college students with the goal of helping them become successful post-incarceration and post-graduation. This exploratory study examines successful career-building strategies…

The juvenile justice system is charged with the welfare of the children it serves, yet less is known about the prosocial behaviors of adolescent youthful offenders. This study identifies patterns of prosocial behavior for 7 years among serious adolescent offenders, the correlates of each pattern, and associated patterns of secure placement. Using…

For decades, most states have made a practice of giving citizens returning from prison or jail a small amount of money, called "gate money," to cover the cost of transportation and other immediate needs. Many legislatures have considered increasing the dollar amount of their cash assistance and offering this kind of support more widely.…

Objective: The present study describes the development of the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop (IPWW), a creative writing workshop, based in group theory and designed for incarcerated settings. Methods: Quantitative evaluation data from IPWW workshops conducted from 2023-2024 were analyzed using IBM SPSS V. 29. Prior to the workshop, 149 men…

This cluster-randomized efficacy trial evaluated the impact of the Ready for Wages intervention, a classroom-based social skills program designed to improve the employability of youth living and being educated in juvenile justice settings. Fifteen juvenile justice facility schools participated. Data were collected from 118 classrooms: 59 treatment…

This cluster-randomized efficacy trial evaluated the impact of the Ready for Wages intervention, a classroom-based social skills program designed to improve the employability of youth living and being educated in juvenile justice settings. Fifteen juvenile justice facility schools participated. Data were collected from 118 classrooms: 59 treatment…

Virtual reality (VR) technologies have been shown to impact the affective and motivational dimensions of learning, for example increasing learners' enjoyment, confidence, and self-efficacy beliefs. While VR is increasingly being used for workforce development, research on these dimensions of learning in authentic workforce development contexts…