NCJ Number
208399
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 55 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 335-348
Date Published
December 2004
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article describes the college and inmate student perceptions of a corrections-based service-learning program focused on health education.
Abstract
As a collaborative venture between Montana Tech of the University of Montana and the Montana Department of Corrections, the Montana State Prison (MSP) Wellness Program was designed to increase inmate knowledge on significant health issues of contemporary society. One component of this program was the Continuing Health Education (CHE) program, a service-learning program that provided an overview of pertinent health topics prepared and delivered by college students to low security inmates. The current article reports on the inmate and college student perceptions of the effectiveness of the CHE program. The case study methodology focused on two groups: the inmate students who attended the CHE classes and the college students who prepared and delivered the classes for the CHE program. Participants were 9 college students and 11 inmate students who were interviewed using both open-ended and Leikert scale type questions. Results indicated that both the college students and the inmate students perceived benefits from participating in the CHE program. Main themes to emerge from the interviews were fear and apprehension, gratitude and appreciation, and beneficial outcomes. Two main implications emerge for correctional educators: the need to create opportunities for service-learning for both college and inmate students and the need to provide pertinent health education to inmates. Table, references