The study compared the recidivism rates of vocational education completers, GED completers who participated in vocational training, and the recidivism of inmates who did not participate in education programs while incarcerated. The Education Department at the Correctional Center provided files on the inmates enrolled in education programs at the institution during 1999-2000. Data on recidivism were obtained from the database known as Prime Time/Inmate Tracking System, which contains information on inmates who have been paroled and are returned to the Center. Of the sample of inmates studied, 53 had been discharged after completing vocational education, 13 were discharged after completing the GED and vocational training, and 96 did not participate in an education program while incarcerated. Vocational completers had a recidivism rate of 8.75 percent; inmates who participated in both GED and vocational training had a recidivism rate of 6.71 percent; and offenders who did not participate in an education program had a recidivism rate of 26 percent. The findings suggest that participation in correctional education programs reduces recidivism, indicating that education is a change agent. The study recommends that the West Virginia Department of Corrections provide adequate funding for education programs and ensure that the quality of education throughout the prison system and in the community correction system promotes social, cultural, academic, and vocational learning. 3 tables and 18 references