Prison Systems Educational Rehabilitation Research Essay

Debate over the inclusion of educational rehabilitation programs in prison systems has grown considerably over time. Despite the fact that some inmates are serving life sentences, society views education as a vital component of everyone’s well-being. To fully comprehend the facts and advantages of educational rehabilitation in prisons, it is essential to address the various viewpoints that have been put forth on this issue. As a result, the discussion will concentrate on historical perspectives on the subject, some of the arguments made by academics in support of their positions, personal experiences that have helped the participants understand the subject, and the advantages of the program as outlined by professionals in charge of prison rehabilitation programs.

Historical Overview of Educational Rehabilitation

In the U.S, the first initiative of offering education in prisons began in 1787 when concerned citizens formed the American prison system in Pennsylvania, and William Rogers became the first tutor in the system. Since then, various arguments have been presented on whether prisoners deserve to receive educational rehabilitation or prison systems should entirely focus on punishment. Despite the differences concerning this issue, the United Nations emphasized that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (UDHR) “every individual has a right to education.” Before 1995, the U.S established approximately 350 in-prisons College programs aimed at providing educational rehabilitation, but this number has deteriorated over the years. Ten years later, only 12 of the programs were active; the rest had closed down. Moreover, between 2009 and 2012, several states in the U.S had reduced funds purposed for providing educational rehabilitation in prisons by six percent. The Congress further failed to renew federal funding in the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 that would offer financial aid for higher education courses for prisoners. Evidently, it is factual that from a historical few, dedication to educational rehabilitation in prisons systems is minimal.

Arguments Concerning Educational Rehabilitation

As much as many understand the value of education, many prisons globally have not focused sufficiently on rehabilitating its prisoners through education. More studies have shown a continuous trend from history that is not determined to offering educational rehabilitation to inmates. For example according to Greta Ferkel, an Executive Dean of Adler University’s Global Campus, a high percentage of prisons in the United States have not entirely included educational rehabilitation programs in the prison systems. A review conducted by InMateAid website showed that only 28 U.S states have an educational program out of 50 of them, an indication that despite the emphasis on education in prisons, many administration systems are still yet to direct resources towards this sector. Moreover, she further argues that this challenge is more critical in private prisons since their main aim is to minimize the expenses spent on prisoners hence this perspective also undermines the existence of educational rehabilitation networks. To reduce costs, private prisons often cut prisoner services that require huge expenses, education and other training programs included. It therefore can be inferred that educational rehabilitation in prison systems is still stagnant and more efforts towards its revival are required.

Additionally, Charles Blain explains the study topic further by arguing that prison systems have become broken in numerous ways. He gives an example of the United States that has focused more on vengeance and incapacitation hence affecting the rehabilitation processes. In 1994, Clinton Crime Bill banned prisoners from receiving Pell Grants yet they played a significant role in facilitating educational rehabilitation through the provision of funds. However, in the year 2014, Obama revived the Pell Grants system, and approximately $30 million was offered to 141 states and federal correctional institution aimed at restoring education in prison systems. However, education programs run by the federal government often utilize outdated models that undermine the objectives of these programs. They only provide basic skills that do not equip inmates with essential rehabilitation practices. Clearly, it shows that the educational rehabilitation segment in prison systems is being undermined and overlooked.

Educational Rehabilitation: Reasons Against

Following the discussion above on the state of prison systems regarding educational rehabilitation, several reasons have contributed to the situation. For instance, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, once a senator in Texas, argued that Pell Grants motivate people to participate in crimes voluntarily since being convicted will give them an opportunity to study and get degrees that they have always aspired to achieve but lacked enough financial aid. He used this perspective to pressure the then U.S president Bill Clinton into scrapping off Pell Grants from prison systems. Additionally, since prisoners are perceived to be evil people, many believe that they automatically do not deserve to receive educational rehabilitation since it is a waste of resources for people that willingly broke the law. Such negative views on prisoners thus minimize the chances of fully incorporating educational rehabilitation programs in prisons.

Personal Experiences

However, from my personal experiences, I believe every program has its positives and negatives but is essential to concentrate on the positive aspects that would not only change one individual’s life but the community as a whole. Growing up, I lived on the outskirts of Texas with my brother, and I could see many street criminals being rearrested severally. At one time in high school, we visited Norway and had an opportunity to tour some of its prisons. I learned that the country focuses more on restorative justice rather than punishment and it is among the states that have the lowest rates of recidivism in the world, 20%, compared to U.S which has 76.6%. The restorative justice system in Norway is strict in the provision of educational rehabilitation programs that equip prisoners with essential skills to facilitate their survival in the society after their sentences are over. This experience made me compare my country’s efforts in making educational rehabilitation active with Norway’s. I realized that U.S has a long way to go to achieve the success that Norway has attained in building their societies to be safe places for everyone because educational rehabilitation helps inmates immensely in making them transformed people for society.

Benefits of Educational Rehabilitation

Despite the arguments against educating prisoners, there are numerous advantages that can be attained if this aspect is strictly included in the prison systems. For example, educational rehabilitation contributes significantly to minimizing cases of recidivism and resultantly, criminal cases reduce within societies as rehabilitated individuals develop moral ethics. The reason behind these results is because educational rehabilitation gives prisoners a chance to adopt habits and thoughts that help them view life from a different perspective. The education acts as a mentorship platform that allows the inmates to acquire useful skills that can help them be self-employed after they serve their jail sentences or have a chance to be employed in organizations that offer job positions with the skills earned. Through this process, the victims become financially stable and responsible people hence the chances of them being involved in criminal activities that would place them at the risk of being sentenced again are reduced. Consequently, recidivism rates diminish which is a positive impact on society. Evidently, this is a significant benefit that results from educational rehabilitation.

Moreover, in juvenile sections, educational rehabilitation gives children and young people a chance to still pursue their education despite being in the process of serving their jail terms. As mentioned earlier, knowledge is essential, and every person has the right to receive it wherever they are. Curtailing freedom of young people is enough punishment hence it is crucial for them to have access to education. It allows them to still strive towards achieving their goals in life and also prevents them from experiencing stigmatization and low self-esteem when interacting with their age mates after serving their punishments. Providing educational rehabilitation for them helps them be at par with the rest of the students in society; hence they do not lag behind academically. It is therefore apparent that educational rehabilitation is vital to inmates in helping them adapt to social norms in the completion of their sentences.

Besides, educational rehabilitation programs offer a chance for prisoners to acquire new interaction and association behaviors that help them cope with each other in prisons. Illiteracy makes people be stiff-minded and have unethical approaches to life challenges such as violence. Prisons often detain people from diverse backgrounds; thus problems and conflicts are inevitable. Educational rehabilitation hence trains individuals to develop attributes that can accommodate each other by learning the importance of appreciating diversity and understanding that violence is not a solution to conflicts. In the process, the inmates become open-minded and learn how to interact with each other peacefully, further facilitating peaceful coexistence in the prisons. These aspects are later incorporated into society when the inmates are released as they transform these individuals into useful people in the communities. Unmistakably, educational rehabilitation is thus an outstanding program that needs to be strictly included in prison systems globally.

Conclusion

From the discussion, it is clear that educational rehabilitation has not been taken seriously in most prison systems. A historical look at the U.S supports this fact since despite establishing educational programs within prisons, they later failed, and the government has not taken the initiative of entirely reviving the plans. Furthermore, the cuts made on financial aid used in prison education goals are a strong indication of leadership systems that have failed to recognize the importance of educational rehabilitation. However, taking Norway as an example, countries can learn that indeed there is more to be gained in acknowledging educational rehabilitation. Additionally, it is necessary to understand that inmates are human, and they have the right to accessible education despite their mistakes. Human rights cater to everyone; hence prisoners should not be denied their rights. The discussion has further shown the long-run impacts of educational rehabilitation, which includes reducing recidivism, equipping the inmates with morals and ethics, and helping them have high self-esteem that allows them to interact with other people in society freely. The importance of educational rehabilitation, therefore, cannot be ignored, and nations need to adopt this measure into their prison systems. As much as prisoners need to be punished, helping them become useful and independent individuals after their sentences is a beneficial strategy since it will impact communities positively.

References

Adler University. (2016, June 13). Private Prisons and the End of Rehabilitation. Retrieved November 26, 2017, from Adler blog: http://www.adler.edu/blog/private-prisons-and-the-end-of-rehabilitation

Bryant, A. (2014). We Are the Products of Our Experiences: The Role Higher Education Plays in Prison. Journal of Prisoners on Prisons , 1.

Catherine, P. (2017, January 23). Prison Education in America: The History and the Promise. Retrieved November 26, 2017, from Prison Education.com: http://www.prisoneducation.com/prison-education-news//prison-education-in-america-the-history-and-the-promise

Pompoco, A., & Sullivan, C. (2017). Reducing inmate misconduct and prison returns with facility education programs. Criminology & Public Policy , 515-547.

Winzer, M., & Mazurek, K. (2014). The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Notes on genealogy and prospects. Journal of International Special Needs Education , 3-12.