Does Providing Inmates With Education Improve Postrelease Outcomes? A Meta-analysis of Correctional Education Programs in the United States, Journal of Experimental Criminology

• NCJ Number: 252513
• Journal: Journal of Experimental Criminology Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: 2018 Pages: 389-428
• Author(s): Robert Bozick; Jennifer Steele; Lois Davis; Susan Turner
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 40 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2010-RQ-BX-0001
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Article; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description; Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether providing inmates with education while incarcerated reduced their chances of recidivism and improved their postrelease employment prospects.

Abstract

The study aggregated 37 years of research (1980-2017) on correctional education and applied meta-analytic techniques. As the basis for the meta-analysis, the researchers identified 57 studies that used recidivism as an outcome and 21 studies that used employment as an outcome. Random-effects regression was then applied across the effect sizes abstracted from each of these studies. When focusing on studies with the highest caliber research designs, the meta-analysis found that inmates who participated in correctional education programs were 28 percent less likely to recidivate than inmates who did not participate in correctional education programs; however, the study found that inmates who received correctional education were as likely to obtain postrelease employment as inmates not receiving correctional education. The meta-analysis demonstrates that providing inmates with educational opportunities while imprisoned can reduce postrelease recidivism. (publisher abstract modified)