Importance of postsecondary education in U.S. prisons

As the overwhelming majority of those in U.S. prisons will rejoin society, it is imperative to prepare individuals to transition with effective rehabilitative programs. This report finds that although there is a gap between incarcerated adults and the general public in both literacy and numeracy skills, completion of a postsecondary credential and participation in job training ameliorates the gap. Those who participate in and/or complete these correctional programs have comparable literacy and numeracy scores to the general public. Furthermore, regardless of time to reentry, all incarcerated adults show interest in, participate in, and complete these programs at similar rates.

The findings reveal almost all incarcerated adults (94 percent) in U.S. federal and state prisons will be released, with over half (57 percent) anticipating release within less than two years. Yet a larger proportion of incarcerated adults’ highest level of education is less than a high school equivalence (30 percent) compared with the general public (14 percent).1 This puts their ability to secure stable employment and/or pursue higher education at risk, leaving them less likely to succeed in life beyond bars.