Making The Case For Corrections Education: A Review Of Policy Research

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Making The Case For Corrections Education A
Review Of Policy Research

• Presented To The 2006 California Jail Programs
  Association Conference
• October 6, 2006
• By Dr. K. Garth-James, Associate Professor
  Director,
• Public Policy Service Administration Program
• Kentucky Wesleyan College, KY 42301
• Consultant, KAGL Affiliates
• PO Box Elk Grove, CA 95857
• www.kagl.info

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Purposes

• Review the trends nation-wide and in California
  that have an effect on crime choice.
• Explain crime theories as plausible reasons for
  committing crime.
• Examine the education (work training) services on
  ex-offenders released from corrections (jails)
  back into their neighborhoods.
• Examine the long-term prospects and outcomes of
• ex-offenders with education services during
• post-release.
• Identify what we (law makers, educators,
  corrections officials, sheriffs and probation)
  can learn from assessing policy research about
  education and ex-offender recidivism and reentry.

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Note

• The results of this analysis do not suggest that
  education (and employment training) guarantee
  ex-offenders successful reintegration into their
  neighborhoods. Extant research indicates that
  other factors (alcohol and drug addiction, poor
  family support, mental and health issues) which
  lead to the ex-offenders failure, must also be
  addressed to lead to positive outcomes during
  post-release.

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Background Jane Does Story

• Jane Doe is from small town just 30 miles from an
  urban city. Jobs are scarce and, low paying jobs
  are in the shoe factory.
• Father died in a war. Mother works several jobs
  to raise 4 kids. She and Jane dont get along
  My mom always calls me slow and ugly, says
  Jane.
• Jane is the second oldest, dropped out of school
  to work and help with family expenses.
• Jane moved to the urban city to get a better
  job, more pay and found prostitution, drugs and
  a hard life.
• She is now 20 years, in jail and trying to
  understand why. What to do?
• Jane meets a correctional counselor who
  encourages her to finish high school. She meets a
  correctional educator and.

• The programs we offer to the inmates allow them
  to work on unresolved issues while they are
  incarcerated. The programs will also allow them
  to learn different ways to handle things and try
  to change their lives and criminal behaviors,
  rather than, " Just Serving Time".

Martinsville City Jail, VA.
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History Of Jails

• For those of you who think that the term sheriff
  originated in the American old west, think again.
  The office of the sheriff can be traced back to
  biblical times and the Book of Daniel in its
  account of  Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. The
  modern county sheriffs departments origins date
  back to the 9th century Englands King Alfred the
  Great. IT is the oldest law enforcement office
  within the common-law system. In the United
  States, the office of sheriff is a direct
  continuation of its English predecessor, its
  powers and duties almost the same as in England
  over nine centuries ago. For example, jail
  administration provides an important criminal
  justice function to maintain law and order and
  preserve domestic tranquility (Former Deputy
  Sheriff Boyd, Suffolk County, Mass., 2005) A
  sheriff is responsible to the citizens. There are
  the political pressures that sheriffs and
  deputies must confront. However, each locality is
  responsible for providing some funding to the
  sheriff so hat jails may be built and maintained,
  deputies hired and duties of the office carried
  out in a timely and efficient manner.

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Theories of Crime From Neighborhoods to
Incarceration

• Explain Why People Commit Crime. What are the
  theories?
• Social Disorganization and Conflict Theories
• Biological. People born or have genetic or
  neurological dysfunctions biochemical
  imbalances.
• Rational. People reason that crime is more
  profitable than punishment if get caught.
• Chicago School. Social environment and behavior
  produces crime, social and cultural deviance
  theories and strain theory.
• Conflict Theory. Societal and political forces
  produce crime. Religion and crime (lack of
  morals) income and crime (lack of money).
• Does Poverty Cause Crime? Poverty Does Not Cause
  Crime" by The John Howard Society of Alberta.
  Crime and Criminals. Tamara L. Roleff, Ed.
  Opposing Viewpoints Series. Greenhaven Press,
  2000. "Poverty Contributes to Gang-Related Crime"
  by Donna Hunzeker. Juvenile Crime. A.E. Sadler,
  Ed. Opposing Viewpoints Series. Greenhaven
  Press, 1997.
• Does Incarceration control crime? Crimes are
  defined to meet the needs of those in control of
  society. People want to feel safe, and the
  criminals locked away.
• Explain what is the purpose of incarceration.
• Utilitarianism view of Jeremy Bent ham
  (1748-1832) believed punishment has 4 goals
  prevent crime, criminal commit lesser offense,
  dissuade criminal from committing crimes, and
  protect society.

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Projected Trends In California

• By 2025, 25 percent of the 48 million
  Californians will be foreign born (Latinos).
• Inland cities will grow by 30 central valley
  towns will become 2nd largest region and, urban
  cities ( LA) will experience unemployment, crime
  among adults with poor literacy (or no literacy)
  and work skills.
• California will be the 6th largest economy in the
  world.
• Will county sheriffs and jail administration be
  affected by demographic and economic changes?
  (Source CDE presentation, CCAE, 2006)

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Projected Trends Jobs Service Industry Vs.
Manufacturing

• Services Industries, the bars on the far left,
  show the greatest increase
• Trade Industries show a slight increase
• Employment in government jobs plateau, and jobs
  in
• Manufacturing, as well as the rest of the
  industries, on the decline
• What does this shift in employment demand mean to
  us in adult education?
• What does it mean to our economy?
• What connection to the crime? Strain Theory?

Source Public Policy Institute of California
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Projected Trends Wage Earnings

• Growth in population favors groups that have
  typically attained lower levels of education
  non-foreign born Americans in poverty immigrants
  and children of immigrants.
• Potential mismatch between education requirements
  of new economy and amount of education of our
  future population.
• Source Public Policy Institute of
  California, 2005

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Trends in Income Earnings

• Foreign-born Whites, and Asians not born
  Southeast Asia, have a median family income of
  67,000.
• Foreign born Hispanics have the lowest median
  family income of 31,000. These individuals with
  the lowest median family income are the majority
  of the population that need adult literacy and
  work training.

• The Median Family Income rates further show the
  plight that the traditional racial and ethnic
  minorities are faced withThis slide
  showsamong US born Whites, Asians, Blacks and
  Hispanics
• US born Whites and Asians have the highest median
  family income at 77,000.
• US born Blacks and Hispanics have a median family
  income of 50,000.

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Trends in High School Education

• California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)

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Trends, Theories and Crime

• Jobs in industries thought of as low-wage or
  for the less educated, are fewer in the high
  tech economy.
• But, service employment includes business,
  professional, entertainment, recreation, health,
  and education. Compared to manufacturing, these
  services require higher levels of education.
• What about poverty and crime?

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Trends in Poverty for Non-Foreign Born Americans
EPI Economic Policy InstituteAuthors analysis
of March population survey data
U.S. Poverty Rates of Nativity Status, 1994-2000
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Trends, Education and Poverty

• Family income does impact childrens academic
  readiness and academic success
• Parents in poverty for both native and non-native
  residents is a determinant of the percent of
  children in poverty
• Only the children of college graduates have
  avoided increased poverty rates
• Poverty status is related to problems of crime,
  recidivism, and reentry.

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Crime Rates
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Demographics and Crime

• Parents criminal history does have an effect on
  childrens involvement
• Ethnic minorities (African-American, Latino) are
  at a higher risk for arrest, incarceration and
  poor reintegration and reentry once returned to
  their neighborhoods.
• Source BJS, Corrections Surveys, 2006)

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Jail Facilities

• At midyear 2004, 713,990 inmates were held in the
  Nation's local jails, up from 691,301 at midyear
  2003.
• In 2004, jails reported adding 19,132 beds during
  the previous 12 months, bringing the total rated
  capacity to 755,603. 94 of the rated capacity
  was occupied at midyear 2004.
• In Indian country on June 30, 2003, 70 facilities
  were operating with the capacity to hold 2,222
  persons. These jails held 1,826 inmates in
  custody and supervised an additional 82 persons
  in the community.
• At midyear 2004 Prison and Jail populations
• The Nation's prisons and jails incarcerated over
  2.1 million persons.
• In both jails and prisons, there were 123 female
  inmates per 100,000 women in the United States,
  compared to 1,348 male inmates per 100,000 men.
• A total of 2,477 State prisoners were under age
  18.
• The number of inmates in custody in local jails
  rose by 22,689 in State prison by 15,375 and in
  Federal prison by 10,000.

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Part II
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Exercise

• Define Recidivism
• Define Reintegration
• Define Reentry
• What is the value of research?
• How should policy makers use research to make
  decisions about jail operations and management?
• Do you use research in your work?

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The Problem

• Crime control policies resulted in record
  numbers being incarcerated in federal and state
  institutions (GAO Report, 2001).
• Although serving longer sentences than a decade
  ago, many are not serving life sentences and
  will return to their/our neighborhoods (GAO,
  2001)
• Offenders released from correctional facilities
  (jails and prisons), face challenges that seem
  insurmountable to reintegration back into our
  neighborhoods.
• The racial differences in the crime rate are one
  of the most controversial areas of the criminal
  justice system
• Employment, education and imprisonment trends are
  related to theories of crime.
• The Rs have an effect on communities and
  ex-offenders LiteRacy, WoRk, Recidivism, Reentry
  and Reintegration.

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Time Served Return To Our Community is Certain
Source Gaines Miller, 2005
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Doing Time In The NeighborhoodProbation In
America
Source Gaines Miller, 2005
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Related Policy and Research

• On March 28, 1990, Senate Hearing on ISL and DSL,
  organized by Dr. Garth-James for Senator Kenneth
  Maddy (deceased), heard expert testimony that
  examined the relationship between sentencing laws
  and sentencing purposes (punishment,
  rehabilitation).
• Research in the 1990s, revealed California faced
  the challenges of sentencing and housing
  lower-level custody non-violent offenders to
  secure facilities
• In the mid-1990s, the Little Hoover Commission
  released several reports that examined the crime
  control strategy of prevention and urged that it
  be made more of a priority and that juvenile
  and adult corrections consider rehabilitation
  programs (education, vocational training,
  counseling and treatment) effect on and
  successful reintegration.
• Public policy such as passage of the Substance
  Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000
  (Proposition 36) amended sentencing laws to
  divert drug offenders (convicted of possession of
  one gram of cocaine) from incarceration
  (prison/jails) to community-based treatment
  alternatives.
• Policies created new felony categories which
  amended sentencing laws to divert non-violent
  offenders (property, burglary) and drug offenders
  from prison to local custody (jails).

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Crime Trends Today

• Crime, Race, and Poverty
• The highest crime rates in the United States are
  consistently recorded in the low-income, urban
  neighborhoods with the highest unemployment
  rates,
• Lack of education, another handicap most often
  faced by low-income citizens, also seems to
  correlate with criminal activity,
• Official crime data seem to indicate a strong
  correlation between minority status and crime
  African Americans are overrepresented in
  arrest-, crime-, and victimization rates.

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Policy, Research and Recidivism

• In 1990-2000s, Recidivism studies indicate an
  association between education and
• crime and employability and crime
• Texas CJ Policy Council evaluates prisoner
  education and vocational programs and prospects
  for lowering recidivism rates reveal positive
  association (C.E., 2002) .
• The Forensic Case Management Program investigated
  jail recidivism factors and found that
  ex-offenders (clients) were likely to be
  returned to jail if mentally ill, homeless, and
  formerly incarcerated in a large urban facility
  (Health Social Work, 1995)
• University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth,
  research on expanding degree-granting
  higher-education programs to jailed inmates
  greatly reduced recidivism (Chronicles, 1992).
• In West Virginia, Marshall University research
  findings at Huntsville Correctional Facility,
  indicate prisoners enrolled in GED and vocational
  training reported a recidivism of 6.71 no
  educational participants recidivism rate was 26
  (C.E.,2003).
• Syracuse University research of 100 women in New
  York Correctional facility and enrolled in
  vocational plumbing program, found that the
  program emphasized self-esteem, hands-on work,
  building confidence, literacy leading to
  reduction in recidivism through re-arrest,
  re-incarceration.
• In 2004, the Russell Sage and National Science
  Foundations supported the
• research found in Impact of Incarceration on
  Wage Mobility and Inequality, which indicates
  the mass incarceration of low-education ethnic
  minorities conceals the unemployment and
  inequality in wages for this population (p.2).

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Education and Employment Policy

• In 1990s, federal policies created the Workforce
  Investment Act to replace the JTPA(1980s) with
  emphasis on
• Employment training (or re-training) for adults
  (Title I)
• Adult Literacy for the most in need and
  hardest to serve adults (Title II, Sections 231
  and Section 225, for educating the incarcerated,
  with nearly 600 million dollars.

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Employment and Education Policy In California

• California WIA, Title I, supports One-Stops
  services employment training and retraining for
  clients.
• California WIA, Title II, Section 231/225 grant
  totals about 78 million to serve 1.4 million
  adults (278 literacy providers).
• In 2003, the Public Policy Institute of
  California, released a report that supports the
  policy purposes and findings of the federal
  governments
• Demographic determinants of education is the
  single most important factor to understand why
  ethnic/racial minority adults have low literacy.
  (62 of men and 63 of women have not completed
  9-12 grade/no diploma, p. 3).
• There is rising value of education and
  employment training to the California labor
  market. Ex-offenders are part of that labor
  market.

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EDUCATION IS NECESSARY...
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(No Transcript)
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Do Offenders Need Literacy?

• Immigration Policy, focus on security, education
  and employment training of immigrant
  (incarcerated) adults.
• The Refugee Resettlement Act allocates millions
  of dollars for integration services that include
  adult literacy and employment training, some are
  former lawbreakers.
• Federal Law for Adult Literacy (WIA, Even Start,
  Barbara Bush Foundation Grant), including
  families of ex-offenders.
• Research from the National Assessment of Adult
  Literacy (NAALs) Survey 2003, indicates 63
  million adults have literacy deficiency and a
  significant number are incarcerated.
• In August, 2005, Focus on Basics Connecting
  Research to Practice, dedicated the entire volume
  to corrections education research and
  understanding how long-term outcomes for
  ex-offenders returned to our communities with
  literacy and employment training can improve
  chances for employment.

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Jail Population In California

• At the end 2003, California county jails housed
  about 76,000 inmates (see chart).
  
• Source Jail Profile Annual Report, 2003,
  California Board of Corrections.

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Correctional Education In California

• In 2004-05, there are 32 WIA, Title II, Section
  225 programs operating in local jails, or a
  halfway house, and community college prisoner
  transition program.
• In 2004-05, state-funding for Jail Education
  totaled nearly 14 million.

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California Jail Education

• Access to postsecondary education has become
  increasingly important for economic success. The
  enrollment of jail inmates in adult education
  courses has increased from 41,000 respectively in
  2001-02, to over 50,000 in 2003-04 (see bar
  chart).
• Source Comprehensive Student Assessment System
  Data (CASAS) Data, 2004.

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Nearly One-Fourth (1/4) Of the Jail Inmates In
Adult Education Are Age 16-30 Years

• Source CASAS Data, 2004

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Nearly Thirty Percent (30) of Jail Inmates in
Adult Education Speak Spanish
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Nearly Half of the Jail Inmates Have Less Than 12
Years Of Schooling

• Source CASAS Data 2004

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More Than Half Of The Jail Inmates Are Enrolled
In A Career Technical Certificate Program

• Source CASAS Data 2004

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Part III
Education Reduces Crime
39
Making The Case For Educators To Develop Stronger
Relationships With Sheriffs

• Good Relationships Depend On You
• Agency Capacity
• Intensity and Duration (instruction and
  curriculum)
• Data Reporting and Performance
• (Learning Gains)
• Funding
• Budget
• Technology
• Working around Lock-downs
• Public Policy and Community Support
• Partnerships Do Work

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Making The Case For Sheriffs Working Effectively
With Educators Understanding Constraints on
Offender Education Programs

• Overcrowding in correctional facilities.
• Routines as lock-downs and head counts interrupt
  training.
• Inadequate funding for offender education and
  vocational programs.
• Inadequate equipment and materials for training
  programs (Paul, 1991 C.E., 2002).
• Inadequate teachers, problems with guards and
  lack of administrative support.
• Offenders and ex-offenders have poor attitude
  about literacy and work training.
• Transportation, transitory life-style interrupt
  services.
• Lack of family and community support.
• Peer pressure to continue as predator versus
  contributor.

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Making The Case For Coordination Understanding
How The Jail Facility Effects Offender Education
and Reentry
42
Making The Case For Community Involvement
Addressing The Concerns of Recidivism
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Making The Case For Opportunity The Ex-offender
Returns To The Neighborhood

• Ex-offender Reentry Success What Can Teachers
  Do?
• Successful literacy and vocational programs are
  learner centered.
• Use learners strength to shape their learning by
  sharing results.
• Help with realistic goal-setting. What learning
  gains can the inmate learner achieve in 3, 6
  months? One year?
• Motivate, build confidence and esteem.
• Recognize that prisoners have high incidence of
  disabilities, low academic skills and other
  challenges.
• Use standardized assessments to accurately
  pinpoint the literacy deficiencies and
  accomplishments of the learner.
• Use computer-assisted instruction and vocational
  programs.
• Help keep prisoners connected and on track to
  literacy and employment training success when
  they are released back into the community.
• Ex-offender Reentry Success What Can Media,
  Public and Policy
• Makers Do?
• Recognize offenders are returning to our
  communities either as predators or contributors.
• Advocate politicians pass and vote for smart
  policy that support reentry (family reunification
  services, victims support, adult literacy,
  employment training) and improves ex-offenders
  readiness to come back home.

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Making The Case For Opportunity The Ex-offender
Returns To The Neighborhood

• Ex-offender Reentry Success What Can Sheriffs
  and Probation Officers
• Do?
• Use the literacy providers in the community as
  partners such as the Literacy Network, Nonprofit
  literacy providers, Community Colleges, Library
  Literacy, and the Adult Schools.
• Consider expanding employment opportunities such
  as vocational training and prison industriesi.e.
  privatized workshops and programs located in the
  jails.
• Coordinate with educators scheduled activities
  that might interrupt education (lockdowns, other)
• Use EC 1900 to establish Adult Education programs
  in your county jail.
• Encourage offenders to work on their literacy
  skills

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Making The Case For Education in Jails

• What can educators do?
• Work with the county sheriffs to establish Adult
  Education programs in jails pursuant to the
  Education Code Sections 1900 and Budget Item
  XXX-158
• Structure education activities using
  evidence-based curricula and teaching methods
• Stress realistic goal-setting so that the
  offender participates in tracking their learning
• Coordinate education activities with deputies (
  elicit their support)

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Making A Case For Accountability

• Ex-offender Reentry Success What Can Business
  Do?
• Establish meaningful partnerships with
  corrections and build joint ventures work shops
  behind bars that offer marketable job skills
  training to offenders.
• Use the joint venture laws to provide training
  that is hands-on, builds confidence, addresses
  attitudinal concerns, and pays marketable wages
  with appropriate deductions.

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Making The Case For Coordinating With Stakeholders

• Ex-offender reentry, what can probation and
• community organizations do?
• Remember that probation and community
  organizations (drug abuse recovery service
  providers, literacy providers, faith-based
  service providers) can help reduce the harmful
  destabilizing effect upon the ex-offenders
  return to the neighborhood.
• Probation should coordinate support services for
  the ex-offender upon reentry.

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Summary

• Assessing policy and research about the 3Rs of
  Recidivism, Reentry and Reintegration and
  connection to work helps Make The Case For
  Corrections Education Programs In County Jails
• Bridges HOPE Fathers Elk Grove Jail Women
  Aftercare
• Should the success of Literacy, Work programs be
  solely judge by recidivism?

END. THANK YOU