NCJ Number
121877
Date Published
1990
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study assesses the effects of the Oklahoma Televised Instructional System (TIS) that provides postsecondary educational opportunities to students in remote locations across the State, including inmates.
Abstract
This study examines whether there is a relationship between participation in college coursework and subsequent reincarceration rates and whether participation in TIS affects the frequency of disciplinary actions. The data file includes over 900 inmates who had participated in TIS, randomly matched with non-participating inmates who had similar characteristics of age, racial, gender, offense, facility, and length of sentence. Recidivism, caused by arrest, conviction, or incarceration was measured using a survival analysis to estimate recidivism rates among various groups of offenders. Prison records were used to analyze the number of misconduct and serious incident reports against TIS participants and their matches for one year previous to, during, and after actual TIS participation. The survival analysis indicated that in each comparison, TIS participants had a lower projected recidivism rate than their counterparts; however, there did not seem to be a cumulative effect of TIS participation. There were no apparent differences in behavior between participants and their matches, as measured by recorded disciplinary actions, before, during, or after TIS participation. In addition, there were no demonstrable differences when the participants were divided according to number of courses taken. The only demographic variables that differentiated the participants from non-participants were employment history and level of schooling. 4 figures, 8 tables, 9 references.