New Report Links Prison Education Programs to Reduction in Recidivism

The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) today announced research which explores knowledge gaps and opportunities for leveraging academic and vocational education programs to improve the reentry outcomes of incarcerated adults and juveniles. The findings confirm the results of a previous report that showed the effectiveness of these programs. The research released today by RAND Corporation is funded by BJA in collaboration with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

"The findings and recommendations in this study underscore the critical importance of effective academic and vocational education programs in helping incarcerated individuals successfully reenter communities upon release," said BJA Director Denise E. O'Donnell. "This knowledge serves to tell us which programs should be developed and funded­—and which programs provide the greatest return on taxpayer dollars."

TITLE:          
How Effective Is Correctional Education and 
Where Do We Go from Here
The Results of a Comprehensive Evaluation

AUTHOR:     
Lois M. Davis, Jennifer Steele, Robert Bozick,
Malcolm Williams, Susan Turner, Jeremy Miles, Jessica Saunders,        
Paul Hirschfield, Paul S. Steinberg

WHERE:       
bja.gov/Publications/Rand-HowEffectiveIsCorrectionalEducation.pdf