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COPE (COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY PRISON EXTENSION) - PROGRAM REVIEW AND EVALUATION

NCJ Number
37703
Author(s)
ANON
Date Published
1976
Length
75 pages
Annotation
AN EXTENSION OF MONTCALM COUNTY (MI) COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THIS PROGRAM OFFERS PRISON INMATES INTRODUCTORY LEVEL LIBERAL ARTS AND VOCATIONAL COURSES TOWARDS A TWO-YEAR ASSOCIATE DEGREE.
Abstract
THE PROGRAM SERVES RESIDENTS OF THE MICHIGAN REFORMATORY, A MAXIMUM SECURITY INSTITUTION FOR YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS UNDER THE AGE OF 23, AND THE MICHIGAN TRAINING UNIT, A MEDIUM-SECURITY FACILITY DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR THE VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL TRAINING OF YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS. SINCE 1972, WHEN COPE BECAME A TWO-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAM, MORE THAN 1000 INMATES HAVE TAKEN CLASSES. THIS EVALUATION ADDRESSES PROGRAM OPERATIONS BASED ON TWO MONTHS OF ON-SITE OBSERVATIONS AND A SURVEY OF STAFF, CORRECTIONAL STAFF, AND STUDENT OPINIONS. COPE WAS FOUND TO BE AN EXCEPTIONAL PROGRAM WHICH DELIVERS NEEDED SERVICES TO CLIENTS IN INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS. IT HAS BEEN ABLE TO CONSISTENTLY GENERATE MORE REVENUE THAN IT HAS BEEN ALLOCATED. PROGRAM INSTRUCTORS ARE CAREFULLY SCREENED AND SELECTED AND ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED, AND STUDENTS INVOLVED WITH COPE COURSES SEEM TO BE INTERESTED AND MOTIVATED. IN ADDITION, THE PROGRAM IS VIEWED AS A VALUABLE CORRECTIONAL ASSET BY INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATORS. PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE THE ADDITION OF FULL-TIME INSTRUCTORS AND ACADEMIC COUNSELORS, REINSTATEMENT OF CORRECTIONAL POLICIES DECREASING THE NUMBER OF COPE STUDENTS TRANSFERRED DURING A TERM, THE ADDITION OF ADVANCED COURSES TO THE CURRICULUM, GIVING COPE STUDENTS A LARGER ROLE IN PLANNING, DEVELOPING, OPERATING, AND EVALUATING THE PROGRAM APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE DATA ON THE STUDENT DROP/WITHDRAWAL RATE, THE RESULTS OF STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS, AND THE 1975 COURSE SCHEDULES.