U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Improving the Educational Skills of Inmates: The results of an Impact Evaluation

NCJ Number
179781
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 24 Issue: 10 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 1-17
Author(s)
Gennaro F. Vito; Richard Tewksbury
Date Published
October 1999
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Although educational programs addressing deficiencies in reading and math skills of inmates have been primarily offered in prisons rather than jails, such programs can also benefit jail inmates.
Abstract
Educational programs for jail inmates can help them secure employment after release, build self-esteem, and increase literacy. Nonetheless, there are significant practical differences between jail and prison inmates that directly affect opportunities for educational programs. Jails serve short-term populations and often do not have the space that is available in prisons for educational programs. In addition, jail inmates lack the incentives of parole and good-time credit sentence reductions available to their prison counterparts. Still, jails represent a prime target for educational programs, and the U.S. Department of Education has established the Functional Literacy for State and Local Prisoners Program. This program provides financial assistance for the development of educational programs aimed at increasing the literacy level of State and local inmates. One project funded under this program, Learning, Instruction and Training=Employment (LITE) was initiated as a collaborative effort between the Jefferson County, Kentucky, Department of Corrections and the Jefferson County Public Schools Adult Education Center. Of 662 inmates tested for this program, 105 volunteered for and completed the program. The program was evaluated in terms of educational skills acquired and recidivism. Educational results from the LITE program indicated jail inmates benefited from individualized instruction. The improvement in literacy skills, however, did not translate into success after release. Program evaluators speculated that an employment program might have led to lower recidivism rates and concluded that job readiness and placement must be a component of educational programs in order to have a positive impact on criminal behavior. 29 references and 6 tables