As students, we strive to complete our post-secondary degrees because we believe education can lead us to a prosperous future. In theory, prisons employ the same ideology. Currently, however, prison inmates do not have access to adequate education — an ironic fact considering that jail institutions say they value education as the most beneficial correctional method.
While volunteering at the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG), I came to learn about the current situation for prison inmates in regards to education. Since Correctional Services Canada discontinued accredited university programs in the early 1990s, there are inadequate resources in prison libraries, as access to books and other forms of information has been limited.
Interestingly, many prison inmates inquire about possible post-secondary educational opportunities and whether or not they will have access to them, which further suggests that prisoners are interested in using education to redirect their lives.
Moreover, many experts believe that adequate informational resources will specifically benefit those inmates who are still young, immature, and uneducated. Knowledge is not just for inmates’ well-being but is also beneficial for the whole of society, as it can reduce recidivism and future criminality, thus creating a safer community. Adequate access to education will also allow inmates to better their chances at finding employment, which will make their transition to the outside much easier.
Adequate education can reduce recidivism and create a safer community.
A Forbes article from last year provides a real life example of how education can help inmates. The article discussed New York’s Cornell College, which works jointly with four maximum-security jails to provide a program that offers inmates a chance to earn an associate degree. It suggested that, upon graduation from the program, inmates were able to read, write, and communicate more effectively, analyze complex problems, and had a greater chance of finding full-time employment once they were released.
In addition, the article suggests that completion of these degree programs shows that inmates are able to “do good,[. . .]exercise discipline and increase [their] adaptability.” Evidently, access to knowledge has proven to be beneficial for prisoners both inter and intrapersonally.
Education does not guarantee a successful future for inmates, but it is certainly a major determinant. Without education, inmates will have difficulty transitioning to the outside, as they are more likely to become involved in the illegal activities in which they were previously involved.
This is why Correctional Services Canada should reintroduce accredited university programs in prisons, and prison libraries should be re-stocked with a diverse range of informational resources. An inmate with access to education would be in all of our best interests.
