"The article fails to acknowledge decades of evidence about the benefits of prison education. The title and framing deceptively imply that college programs increase criminal activity post-release at a national scale. The Grinnell study-an unpublished working paper-is only informed by data collected in Iowa. Of most impact to incarcerated students, the title and introductory paragraphs mislead the reader by implying that the blame for technical violations and reincarceration should be placed on the justice-impacted individuals themselves."
"Buried in the article is a nuanced, accurate, structural interpretation of the data: per Iowa-based data, incarcerated individuals who pursue college may be unfairly targeted by parole boards and other decision-making bodies in the corrections system, thus leading to a higher rate of technical violations. The impact of the article's misleading framing could be devastating for incarcerated college students, especially in a climate where legislators often value being "tough on crime.""
Decades of evidence show prison education produces benefits and increases access to higher education for incarcerated individuals. Iowa-based research found higher rates of reincarceration for technical violations among incarcerated college students, but these findings may reflect unfair targeting by parole boards and corrections decision-makers rather than increased criminal behavior. Misleading public portrayals that attribute technical violations to individuals risk reducing institutional support and harming students. The 1994 repeal of Pell funding reduced prison education programs from 772 to eight, demonstrating vulnerability of programs to policy and public perception.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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