Correctional Education is any program that occurs within a correctional institution that is seen as educational. There is substantial research that links lower recidivism rates with correctional education. There is also research that indicates that education is most beneficial when it is continued and linked to community. However, there is limited research about transitioning students from correctional education to educational institutions in the community. Finally, there seems to be a dearth of information that combines all these ideas: information that specifically addresses why students do not continue their education upon release, and what aid would they need to increase these numbers. This project hopes to fill the information gap in this area.
The project will be looking at Academic Upgrading specifically and will identify factors that influence students registered in Academic Upgrading within a correctional setting when deciding whether to continue their schooling upon release from their correctional institution.
To identify these factors, it is required to have a better understanding of the number of Academic Upgrading students within correctional education who continue their academic learning, in any form, upon release from the institution. If they continue, we ought to identify the reasons for their continuation. If they do not continue we should then identify why they did not continue.
The end result of the research would be to inform decision-making in regards to transitional strategies for the students leaving correctional facilities. These informed strategies would be another piece when working to lower recidivism rates and make our communities healthier and safer.
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