Studies and research have found strong evidence that correctional education plays a big role in reducing reoffending.
Prison inmates who receive general education and vocational training are significantly less likely to return to prison after release and are more likely to find employment than peers who do not receive such opportunities.
Providing young inmates education programs and vocational training helps keep improves their future job prospects and from returning to prison. These young men & women needs a direction in their lives and the educational and vocational training is their direction towards becoming a law abiding citizen.
Researchers in USA found that inmates who participate in correctional education programs have 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not. The estimate is based on studies that carefully account for motivation and other differences between correctional education recipients and non-recipients.
Employment after release was 13 percent higher among prisoners who participated in either academic or vocational education programs than those who did not. Those who participated in vocational training were 28 percent more likely to be employed after release from prison than who did not receive such training.
The cost of educating each inmate during their incarceration is far less when compared with the cost of incarcerating them.
However, even though there is no longer a need for a debate whether correctional education works, but we do need more research to dig-out which parts of these programs work the best.
