Responsible Education and External Rehabilitation Services
The Issue:
Education plays a significant role not only in reducing recidivism but also increasing the ability to gain and retain employment when prisoners are released. Educational services in prisons, however, have not been successfully implemented, and need extensive improvement. Rehabilitation services aid in a smooth transition back into society and work with educational programs. Due to the mobility of prisons and special settings, these programs are not consistent. This increases the risk of reoffending and potential harm to the society.
Why it needs to be addressed:
Education for people in prison is vital for rehabilitation and the reduction of recidivism, as it encourages the participation in rehabilitative services and increases abilities to gain and retain employment. This facilitates reentry into society and integration into civil life post-incarceration.
Rehabilitation services also play a significant role in the reduction of recidivism and a smooth transition back into society. These include motivation programs (e.g. group therapy, problem awareness improvement, etc.) and cognitive skills programs (e.g. improvement of critical reasoning, interpersonal perspective-taking, victim awareness, etc.). These programs must be consistently monitored to ensure a high standard of implementation.
Extra Links and Resources
Education in prison improves mental and physical well-being, reduction of substance abuse, increasing chances of post-release employment, rehabilitation, personal development and autonomy. A lack of education ultimately strips rights from the incarcerated, affecting their personhood and chance to improve.
Opportunities for Education
The University of Southern Queensland, the leading and largest national provider for incarcerated higher education students operates in Queensland, WA, Tasmania and South Australia (not NSW).