NCJ Number
89339
Editor(s)
J D Ayers
Date Published
1981
Length
424 pages
Annotation
The conference papers examine the subthemes of the roles of education and prisons in society, developing an educational model, evaluating prison programs, and curriculum.
Abstract
In examining the roles of education and prisons in society, one paper brings an historical perspective to education, notably moral education as addressed in the confrontational or individual therapy of Yochelson, the just community of Kohlberg, and the developmental-liberal educational thrust of the University of Victoria Program. Another paper holds that the aims of education are to develop a functionally literate and technologically competent worker and to prepare persons for socially aware and valid roles in society. The third paper argues that prisons must be involved in educational endeavors, because they are essential for the development of responsible living patterns. In the section on developing an educational model, topics considered are the adult prisoners as student, how the prisoner sees education, and the prison as school. Also included are a summary of small group discussion on the subtheme of educational model, questions, and commentary. The principal paper on the evaluation of prison programs analyzes the four purposes of imprisonment: incapacitation, deterrence, retribution, and rehabilitation. Some features of a desirable evaluation system are then proposed, particularly the assumption of both formative and summative roles as well as the evaluation of the input, context, and output phases. Presentations in the evaluation workshop consider planning an evaluation, evaluation of the University of Victoria Program in Federal prisons, ways and means of measuring performance, and the link between cognition and crime. Papers on prison educational curriculums give particular attention to moral and social education as well as teaching methods and tools. One paper considers educational programs for women.