College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons

Provide education to prisoners and they wont return to crime. America accounts for 5 percent of the worlds population yet incarcerates about 25 percent of the worlds prisoners with about 2.3 million men and women in U.S. facilities. Examining a wealth of studies by researchers and correctional professionals and the experience of educators this book finds an irrefutable conclusion: the likelihood of an undereducated prisoner returning to crime is high but recidivism rates drop in direct correlation with the amount of education prisoners receive and the rate drops dramatically with each additional level of education attained.. Presenting a workable solution to Americas over incarceration and recidivism problems this book demonstrates that great fiscal benefits arise when modest sums are spent educating prisoners instead of dedicating exponentially higher resources to confining them. Educating prisoners brings a reduction in crime and social disruption reduced domestic spending and a rise in quality of life.