Prison Education Resources
Other resources include the following websites: Prison Policy Initiative
Bibliography
- How Education Creates a Pathway for Formerly Incarcerated People’s Reintegration
- The EdTrust blog post highlights education as a vital pathway for the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals. It notes that access to education can reduce recidivism and improve job opportunities, emphasizing the need for equitable access to higher education.
- College After Prison: A Review of the Literature on Barriers and Supports to Postsecondary Education for Formerly Incarcerated College Students; College After Prison
- Reviews the barriers and supports for formerly incarcerated individuals pursuing higher education
- Beyond Recidivism: Positive Outcomes from Higher Education
- Explores the positive outcomes of higher education programs for formerly incarcerated individuals, based on interviews with participants
- Journeys in Social Stigma: The Lives of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
- Qualitative interviews to understand how formerly incarcerated individuals continue their education post-release and manage social stigma
- The blog post discusses the essential role of education in facilitating the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals. It highlights how education equips these individuals with the skills and confidence needed to navigate barriers.
Videos
- Instructor Leads Life-Changing Course in Prison
- Inside Out Prison Exchange Program Graduation
- Inside Out: Leaving Prison Behind
- What is it like to teach inside of a prison?
- How These Inmates Are Getting An Ivy League Education
- Education in Prisons
Movies to Watch
- Sing Sing (2023)
- Story of Sing Sing Correctional Facility; made up almost entirely of formerly incarcerated men and is a true story through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at the (SSC) facility where inmates created and performed plays. The themes are: Resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art
- The Work: The Prison Therapy Experience
- This documentary takes place inside the Folsom Prison following a group therapy session involving both inmates and outsiders while providing an emotional look at the struggles and transformations of the participants.
Graphics: Various Comparisons
- Universal Incarceration
- The U.S. locks up more people per capita than any other nation with 583 per 100,000 residents. Approximately 1.9 million people were confined nationwide.
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities
- White people are underrepresented in prisons and jails while Black and American Indian or Alaska Native people are overrepresented.
- Black Incarceration vs. White Incarceration in States
- Every state incarcerates black residents in its state prisons at a higher rate than white residents.
- Awaiting Court
- Most individuals are awaiting to be tried in court as most are presumed innocent and have not been convicted of any crimes. These incarceration rates are driven largely by local bail practices that sentences high amounts to people who cannot afford it.
- Probation to Incarceration vs. Parole to Incarceration
- On the left, there is a high amount of people who have committed the same crimes or given a new sentence essentially going back to prison from probation. On the right, less people have new offenses or given new sentences but still are going from parole and back to incarceration.
Juvenile Incarceration
- How many youth are actually locked up?
- There are approximately 48,000 juveniles locked up currently in the United states.
- Arrested before 16th birthday
- Below are the percentages of juveniles arrested at the age of 15 or younger.
- Non-person Offenses
- Some youth are locked up on charges that aren’t crimes and another handful are held awaiting placement with family or friends which is why the rates and numbers are so high.
