Recent research shows that, on average, inmates who participated in correctional education programs had 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison than inmates who did not. Each year, approximately 700,000 individuals leave federal and state prisons; about half of them will be reincarcerated within three years.
The findings from the largest analysis gathered of correctional educational studies indicate prison education programs are cost effective. According to the research, a one dollar investment in prison education translates into reducing incarceration costs by four to five dollars during the first three years after release when those leaving prison are most likely to return.
The RAND Corporation’s analysis of correctional education research found that employment after release was 13 percent higher among prisoners who participated in either academic or vocational education programs than among those who did not. Those who participated in vocational training were 28 percent more likely to be employed after release from prison than those who did not receive such training.
In Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio launched “Hard Knocks High,” the only accredited high school under a Sheriff in an American jail that, according to the Sheriff’s Office, has greatly reduced recidivism.