Does Receiving a College Education while Incarcerated Influence Convicted Felons Ability to Find a Job - Research Paper Example

Does Receiving a College Education while Incarcerated Influence Convicted Felons Ability to Find a Job? Does Receiving a College Education while Incarcerated Influence Convicted Felons Ability to Find a Job? Introduction Incarcerated persons often face a wide range of both state and federal restrictions on their eligibility for employment and this may significantly make it difficult to find employment. However, a number of researchers agree that receiving college education may to some extent improve their chances of finding a job. Currently, the education of felons while they are still incarcerated is perhaps more imperative that it has been before. This is in light of the increase of prisoners as well as the accumulation of evidence with regard to how effective the education programs for the felons are on recidivism (Behan, 2014). Nevertheless, a number of previous researches indicate that the prison population continues to be under educated, as an increasing number of prisoners report to having less than high school education. As a result, a high number of the felons report back to their communities poorly ready to rejoin the labor force. This ultimately renders them unable to support themselves as well as their families. This acts as the recipe for disaster in terms on increased crime, recidivism and higher costs to the society. This literature review analyzes the work that has been published by other researchers in the realm of education of felons. First, the size of the prison population is discussed followed by a detailed discussion on the need of offering education to the felons while they are still in prison. The review will also discuss the effects of educating the felons and how the educational programs can be used to enhance the rehabilitation efforts. Potential Influence of College Education on the job finding ability of the Incarcerated The idea of providing college education for the incarcerated has received significant support as well as fierce opposition. Proponents particularly argue that college education significantly enhance the ability of the convicts to find job after serving their sentences thereby improving their chances of fully integrating back into the society. According to Visher, Debus and Yahner (2008), a significant proportion of former prisoners find it had to get employment due to low levels of educational attainment or lack of work experience. The researcher employed a longitudinal study of released convicts in three states who were questioned on a wide range of areas related to their employment after prison as well as the potential impact of college education on their job acquisition. The findings revealed that nearly 40% of the current federal and state prisoners do not have a high school diploma or GED. This significantly makes the provision of ccollege education to the incarcerated prisoners to significantly important in improving the convicted felon’s ability to find a job. On the other hand, Nillson and Agel (2003) suggest that the association between crime, employability and reoffending is multifaceted. Although certain critical commentators have claimed that the rates of crime can be related directly to increases in unemployment and the linked social and economic consequences, many individuals decide on a more elusive clarification that describe it as a complex association amongst numerous factors. Likewise, the outcome of the report by Webster et al. (2001) revealed that a considerable percentage of the decrease in U.S property crime rates throughout the 1990s is attributable to the reduction in the rate of unemployment. According to a study conducted by Farrington et al. (1986), the analysis of the self-reported employment history and official criminal records of the four hundred and eleven young males followed up in the Cambridge delinquency study. They found that the offending rate throughout unemployment periods was considerably greater than throughout employment periods. Afterward, Nagin and Waldfogel (2005) re-examined the data from the study of Farrington et al.’s to model the relationship among convictions and employment opportunities. They found out that early criminal convictions have the abilities to deny the young offenders job opportunities during their life span through preventing entry into opportunities related to training and apprenticeships. Therefore, they maintained that the young offenders’ lasting advancement in career becomes inadequate that consequently puts the limit on their possible earnings and continues the crime or the cycle of social segregation. Similarly, Webster et al. (2001) notes that the more prosperous programs judged through rates of re-offense rates access to job have the tendency of having high rates of dropout. Hence, it is unclear whether such programs openly brought about transformation and whether individuals who stayed the development were the most encouraged, most able offenders who may have relocated productively without much formal help. Wilson, Gallagher and MacKenzie (2000) proposed that there is inadequacy on hypothetical link in the literature among the undertakings of work programs and prison education, and the post release conduct of prisoners. Research from Hughes (2012) indicates that as far as sizing up the population of the correctional system in the country, the adults in 2102 that were incarcerated was approximately 6.9 million. This figure represents an increase of an estimated 274% since the 1980s (Hughes 2012). The figures indicate that a high number of the population are incarcerated; creating the need to educate if better outcomes are expected after their release. In addition, the researcher posits that the educational attainment levels of the felons are low. The researchers collected literacy data that indicated that on each scale levels of education and literacy of the felons was significantly lower compared to the entire US population. This is indeed disturbing since... argue that having the proper educational qualifications as well as credentials is important in obtaining employment in the current competitive economy. If the prisoners’ levels of education are not increased, there is higher recidivism chances which puts the rest of the society in jeopardy as the rates of crime will not reduce. On the other hand, Williford (2012) suggest that to assist in the preparation of the incarcerated felons for the labor market soon after they are released from prison, correctional facilities should consider offering educational programs. Some of the programs that could be offered include adult education. GED programs, post-secondary programs as well as vocational training. Additionally agree with this as they posit that offering post-secondary educational programs can have positive impacts as far as the reduction of recidivism is concerned. While discussing the importance of education Webster et al. (2001), claim that the primary aim of education is the development of habits that can foster wellbeing. They argue that learning as well as education does not need to end when a person is incarcerated. Since the main purpose of the correctional facilities is to rehabilitate the felons, education can be one of the tools that can help in the restoration of the felons into useful citizens. However, critics of providing inmates with college education argue that providing those with criminal convictions is a waste of tax payer’s money. This view nonetheless is not eligible as convicted students have realized their mistakes thus education may in the long run instill a lot of reasoning in these students apart from correction and rehabilitation. For example, both the liberal and lay view portrays education for the convicted felons while incarcerated as wastage of time and resources. Once somebody is convicted, he/she to some extent feels the life have got no meaning for them. Individual convicts may resolve into having college education in order to achieve the missing parts of their lives which is getting enlightened as opposed to being employed. Nation-states therefore should look on the better ways of providing education to the criminals basically because education can be an important tool in the governmental correctional facilities policy arsenals. Incarceration models should therefore necessitate correction and rehabilitation of the felons first before availing them to the job markets. On the emphasis of rehabilitation, a 2008 study by the North Carolina sentencing and policy advisory commission showed that having at least 12 years of education lowered significantly the likelihood that an inmate would be re-arrested. This adds to about 65 million individuals in America being on criminal records (Betts, 2009). While not all criminal record do not necessarily result to jail terms or prison sentences, some of these criminal record in the long run brings barriers to gainful employment opportunities due to stigma of a record as well as lower levels of education and job trainings. The overall education attainment of inmates and the formerly incarcerated is considerably below that of the general population in every world’s country-this is especially in regard to A and O-levels. In the United States, for example, about half of the nation’s adults had at least some level of college education. This was inconsequentially the opposite indication because less than 2o per cent of state and federal prisoners had some college education. College education for individual convicts while incarcerated ultimately affects their ability to find jobs (Alexander, 2010). Good example of job finding mission’s diminishing model to the college-going felons is when their convictions are prone to take many years let alone life imprisonment scenarios. College going for the college students is therefore meant to aid the rehabilitation process and not utterly give the convicts employment. Education is one of the best rehabilitation weapons as some of the felons may have done offense due to the lack of appropriate hunger management skills. Through college education, this would be the beginning of learning basics of life for the felons. Links between Education and Recidivism The concept of offering college education to inmates has been met with aggressive opposition from the traditional leaders. A felon needs to take advantage of the numerous chances to get G.E.D while in prison. There is the need to complete college education and obtain vocational training while convicted. An individual should have a good preparation since it is significant when one is away from the outside world for an lengthy time, and have limited job abilities and experience, and when one will not have the capability of returning to the previous area of work, for example, when a convict was working as a bank teller and imprisoned of theft, he or she perhaps will no longer be able to work in banking sector. The felon should take advantage of education and job training programs that may be available in prison (Webster et al., 2001). Most government agencies and non-profit organizations offer numerous opportunities for all job seekers to obtain more education or training. The knowledge and skills develop in these programs can make a great change in the achievement of a job search. Moreover, there are such programs directed particularly to individuals who have recently been freed from prison. The programs normally assist a felon to find a job throughout the program and after completion. An estimated 2.3 million individuals were convicted and prisoned in the United States in the year 2009. Additionally, about 4.2 million probationers and 800,000 parolees were charged in the U.S courts according to the federal bureau of justice statistics. Many of these individuals who in one way or the other are charged in the court of law are unprepared for wage-earning jobs thus making them vulnerable for committing subsequent crimes (Colson and Vaughn, 2007). Research also showed that nearly two-thirds of inmates returned to prison within three years of their release. This back fall in felons need for education ultimately proved that indeed convicts ability to get jobs is not influenced by their college education while in prions but by the general behavioral characteristics of these individuals. Incarceration and criminal records therefore puts a heavy fiscal burden on states as the correctional facilities costs spiral upward shifts in terms of providing educational facilities to the felons (Jacobson, 2005). On the other hand, Williford (2012) argue that any efforts to implement the education programs will fail if the participation and willingness of the felons is low. The researcher further suggests that various actions that can be undertaken to increase the participation as far as education is concerned. They argue that with regard to the requirements, there are trends that prefer mandatory participation. This mandate stems from the education requirements that were stipulated under federal Bureau of prisons. Other authors argue that such an approach would be effective since all the prisoners would be forced to attend education classes regardless of whether they found them useful or not... claim that other than making the programs mandatory, the correctional facilities can also offer other forms of incentives that will increase participation and perhaps performance. According to Allred, Harrison and OConnell, (2013) an estimated 50% of the offenders once released from incarceration will recidivate if not offered education compared to 13% of the felons that are educated. This is more so in the case of the adult felons. Although correctional facilities might face challenges such as high costs of secondary and college education, offering education offers increased opportunities to help the felons. Hughes (2012) agrees with this as they associate education with an improvement of the general well-being of the felons not only after they are released but while they are in prison as well. Education will foster better relationships among the inmates as they will get more value for their time rather than engaging in unproductive activities such as crime. Conclusion The literature review has revealed that college education plays a critical role for the felons that are incarcerated particularly with regard to their ability to find a job. The views of the researchers point towards using the educational platform as a tool for rehabilitating the inmates. The starting figures of the prison population foster the need of more effective solutions of making the lives of the prisoners better, for their sake and the sake of society in general. Through education, the lives of the offenders can be significantly improved. References Allred, S., Harrison, L., OConnell, D. (2013). Self-Efficacy: An Important Aspect of Prison-Based Learning. The Prison Journal, 93(2), 211-233. Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. New York: New Press. Behan, C. (2014). Learning to Escape: Prison Education, Rehabilitation and the Potential for Transformation. Journal of prison education and reentry, 1(1), 20-25. Betts, R. (2009). A question of freedom. New York: Avery Publishers. Colson, C., Vaughn, E. (2007). Kingdoms in conflict. New York: W. Morrow. Farrington, D. P., Ohlin, L. E., Wilson, J. (1986).Understanding and controlling crime. New York: Springer-Verlag. Hughes, E. (2012). Education in Prison. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Jacobson, M. (2005). Downsizing prisons: How to reduce crime and end mass incarceration. New York: New York University Press. Nagin, D., Waldfogel, J. (2005). The Effects of Criminality and Conviction On The Labor Market Status Of Young British Offenders. International Review of Law and Economics, 15, 109-126. Nillson, A., Agel, J. (2003). Crime, Unemployment & Labour Market in Turbulent Times.Working Paper, 14, 12-34. Visher, C. A., Debus, S., Yahner, J. (2008). Employment after prison: A longitudinal study of releasees in three states. Washing- ton, DC: The Urban Institute. Retrieved on November 25, 2015 from http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/411778-Employment-after-Prison-A-Longitudinal-Study-of-Releasees-in-Three-States.PDF Webster, R., Hedderman, C., Turnbull, P. (2001). Building Bridges to Employment for Prisoners. Home Office Research Study 226. London: HMSO. Wilson, D.B., Gallagher, C.A., MacKenzie, D., Waldfogel, J. (2000). A Meta-Analysis of Corrections-Based Education, Vocation, and Work Programs. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 37(1), 347-368. Williford, M. (2012). Higher education in prison. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. Read More