NCJ Number
173602
Journal
Criminologist Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 1998 Pages: 15-20
Date Published
1998
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the impact of uneducated ex-offenders on the economy of many urban areas and considers methods that can be used to educate this group for success.
Abstract
The egocentricity and delayed cognitive development among youth involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems may result from their isolation from mainstream culture and their failure to achieve success in school and the early age for their initial participation in antisocial and criminal behaviors. This led Matthews and Winters (1993) to believe that there should be six objectives of any education policy for youthful offenders. These are to increase literacy among offenders, train offenders for gainful employment, prepare offenders to become taxpayers, and decrease social cognitive skills retardation. This educational plan calls for more education programs in correctional centers, especially jails located in many large urban centers. Such an educational plan can reduce recidivism and prepare youth for rewarding careers and not just a life of crime. Offenders who receive remediation of learning problems will have a greater chance for success in employment. This would help lower crime in many urban areas, as unskilled and uneducated youth become more employable. 51 references