What subjects should be delivered in prison education to reduce re-offending?

Answer 1

Problem is that offenders don't want to be educated.

This was something I have learnt from 2 sources, the one source was a Prison Officer, the other is a neighbour who was wrongfully imprisoned over an accusation and spent a year for the alleged threat to kill and his time on the inside was an education in itself but said no one wanted to attend class and learn anything period.

It was his view that if they are scum, leave them to it as they deserve to rot, the prison officer had the opposite view but recognised that it is a problem trying to get offenders into class.

So I see the only option is to put them in class and if they don't attend or pass an exam at the end of their sentence, they spend more time inside as punishment for not wanting to learn or become better people and failing the exam.

Their is a link between education and crime, unfortunately the current education that offenders get is how to be better offenders.

Answer 2

I'm wondering this myself.

My 21 year old brotherin law has recently been sent to prison for 3 years. He is a repeat offender - constantly getting into fights outside nighclubs and caught in possession of "Wacky Backy" and other substances.

He is a bright lad but has totally gone off the rails, and insists on hanging around with the lowest common denominator.

He has no qualifications because he was expelled from school at 15 and dropped out of college when he was 17.

He has never had trouble finding work but it does not seem to be enough to keep him on the straight and narrow.

I am really hoping that he will take advantage of the education system in prison. He could do himself a real favour by maybe sitting his A Levels and having a really good think about what he would like to do with himself when he is released and how to get there.

I hope that they will give him the opportunity to get some academic qualifications under his belt and also some careers guidance on what he might like to do when he is released. He is very much into bodybuilding and fitness (and also quite musical). So I think he would be good to think about a career as a fitness instructor or something like that.

I have heard though that education programmes are optional, and so he can choose not to take part which would be a shame. I think that in these cases prison could be a positive thing in that it gets young offenders away from old patterns and the people they have been associating with and gives them space to concentrate on what they want to change in their lives, and hopefully the tools with which to do this.

Answer 3

Most jails and prisons offer GED courses, which include basic reading and arithmetic.

Inmates need to be able to function and support themselves in society when they get out or else they have a high risk of winding right back up in jail. They need basic reading skills so they can fill out a job application, read and sign an apartment lease, and basic math skills so they can handle their money, know how much they are earning and figure a basic budget for themselves.

Other than that, vocational courses will help them find work when they get out, but that won't help a whole lot if they can't read, write, and perform simple arithmetic, IMHO.

Answer 4

Education in prison does not reduce the rates at which criminals comit new offense and are reincarcerated. Criminals lack the basic moral code that most citizens follow. They prefer to take the "easy and quick" way to earn their living as opposed to following the rules of society that the rest of us live by. I worked around these people for many years and I can tell you they consider us suckers because we adhere to the mores of our society. You want to reduce the return rate. Make crime a less lucrative business. Change three strikes and your out to three strikes and you are executed. make it mandatory life for using a weapon in the comission of a crime. When the penalties for violating our laws are strong enough, those who are smart enough to read the writing on the wall will go straight, those who do not will be removed from the gene pool. Either way the crime rate will fall.

Answer 5

well, I would suggest citizenship, but as no-one turns up for those lessons in year 7, i don't see why prison offenders would bother either. I guess really it would have to be things that would help get them a job, and so stop them trying to get money from crime. So perhaps subjects such as english, maths, science as basics, and then something more specialised, like electronics, or something. Though i still doubt many people would take any education courses voluntarily.

Answer 6

Literacy and numeracy. A surprising number of prisoners are unable to read and write, which is great handicap when it comes to leading a normal and industrious life. (Remember that Jonathan Aitken was known as "Joiner" in prison because he was able to do joined up handwriting!) Classes in simple maths would also be helpful. Some prisoners discover skills which they were unaware of through the opportunity to take classes in art. I've known prisoners (albeit in the Caribbean) who turned out to be so good at gardening and woodwork that they stayed on as part of the prison staff after completing their sentences in order to teach others.

Answer 7

The subjects are almost irrelevant, I would suggest, it's the social responsibility angle, depending upon the offence. Prison contains too wide a range of people to generalise upon subjects which should be taught.
A common problem is getting younger offenders to actually get involved in something and get rewards from their commitment.
How about parenting.. to break the cycle?
Alex

Answer 8

Stuff them, they are there to serve time for committing crimes.
It is not a education premises. Hard time, hard labour.
It pi$$es me off when these do-gooding human-rights ***** bend over backwards to help these low-life scum. They are in there for a reason.
Millions of other people in this country can abide by the laws.
If these criminals can not abide by the laws, then I have no pity for them and never will.
It`s about time the offended were given as much attention that the law gives to these low-life scum....
Prison should be so bad that criminals will not want to ever return...

Answer 9

reformatory guidance is merely that, guidance. that's an analogous guidance you're able to get carry of interior the unfastened international. Many prisons now furnish degree searching for inmates instructions in direction of mentioned degree. Many crimes, do no longer "see" guidance point, from people who've a 6th grade guidance to those that've grasp's and Ph.D tiers. guidance could "help" cut back recidivism yet i do no longer think of that's considerable. skills usually circumstances keep inmates busy on an analogous time as serving their time. it is likewise a thank you to pay courtroom ordered restitution. actual many of the artwork courses interior of prisons, which includes Bus Barn, Swine farm, leather-based artwork, , horticulture, computing device technologies, timber/craft keep, garmet production facility advance an inmates ability to do a activity interior the unfastened international. It actual provides them an upperhand upon launch. one among many industries i think of it quite is critical for inmates too get carry of latest artwork skills. in this time they learn team artwork, fee of no longer consumer-friendly artwork and ending up a activity. The final element in despite if or no longer those courses are helpful sufficient are subjective and ultimately stay interior the inmate while reintegrated returned into society. i'm confident it reward some and understand that it will no longer artwork for each individual. i think of there are sufficient materials in courses already and extra money disbursed could be pointless except extra inmates have been keen to take area in mentioned industries/artwork courses.

Answer 10

If you educate a criminal, all you end up with is a smarter criminal. Beyond having basic GED courses available, I would say none! Prison should be for punishment, as every person there knows right from wrong and chose to do the crime anyway.