College programs in prison and upon reentry for men and women: a literature review

Abstract

People in prison participating in college education are least likely to recidivate and most likely to be employed after incarceration. Almost no research exists on the collateral – negative and often unanticipated – consequences of a criminal conviction on access to college upon community re-entry. We review these few studies, the existing research on college in prison – with special attention to women’s needs; some new ‘hybrid’ programs with 2 years of college in prison plus 2 years in the community; and the rare studies that interview people applying to college upon re-entry. Their struggles can be overwhelming and require more research and activism.

Keywords:

• College
• prison
• collateral consequences
• barriers to reentry
• gender

Notes

1. Belknap (2007) uses ‘crime processing system’ instead of ‘criminal justice system’ to reflect the system’s emphasis on processing ‘offenders’ rather than promoting justice. Likewise, we use the term ‘criminal legal system’ (CLS) out of similar concerns.

2. Some of this information was found through a proposal for an applied research project published as a sample proposal on the University of West Florida’s Department of Justice Studies website (UWF DOJ). Retrieved on February 6, 2012: http://uwf.educ/justice/AppliedResearch/ratesofwomenoffendersAPR.pdf. In addition, the only national report devoted directly to the post 1994 loss of Pell Grants for college education for women in prison and the renewal of college programs in women’s prisons after that time is by Foster (2005).