Is Education in the Prison System Useful in Lowering Recidivism Rates?

Laura Davis
English 2000
April 17, 2008
Annotated Bibliography
1. Book- “Vocational Education and Recidivism at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.”
Sanders, Henry E. "Vocational Education and Recidivism At the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women." Diss. LSU, 1998.
This research was done by an LSU doctoral student in 1998. Between 1990 and 1994, Sanders studied whether vocational education had any effect on the recidivism rate of inmates at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. The study compared one group of women who received education, to another group of women who did not participate in the educational courses. Sanders’ results showed that the women who completed the educational courses had lower recidivism rates than those who didn’t.
This book was very interesting as the correctional facility was in Louisiana. This made the book very relative to my argument because I had something to bring the reader in. It was very well researched and had many interesting facts that I can use in my paper. However, it sometimes went above my knowledge on the subject, and that caused some confusion. The statistics in the book proved to be too complicated for me. That being said, there is a lot of very good information in this book and I would recommend it.
2. Book- “What Works in Corrections: Reducing the Criminal Activities of Offenders and Delinquents.”
Layton, Doris L. What Works in Corrections: Reducing the Criminal Activities of Offenders and Delinquents. New York: Cambridge UP, 2006. 69-112.
This entire book was filled with different methods in reducing criminal activity. There was an entire section on just what I needed. In three chapters, it discussed: academic education and life skills programs, vocational education and work programs, and cognitive behavioral therapy programs. The author listed the pros and cons of each of these programs as she had done studies with each of the various topics. She backed up her findings with the statistics so it was a very factual and educated book.
I found this book to be very helpful. It highlighted many of the aspects that I wanted to touch on. While the author gave me first hand experiences, she also gave me hard evidence to back her research up. This will be helpful in arguing my point in the essay. Ms. Layton is very educated, yet she was able to document her research in such a way that I could understand. The chapters were very easy to read and provided some of the most useful information that I have found so far.
3. Journal- “Parent Education Program for Incarcerated Mothers.”

Gonzalez, Patricia, Tony Romero, and Christine B. Cerbana. "Parent Education Program for Incarcerated Mothers in Colorado." The Journal of Correctional Education 58 (2007): 357-373. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. LSU, Baton Rouge. 15 Apr. 2008.
To begin, this article was incredibly interesting. It touched on the many issues that both the children of the incarcerated mothers, and the mothers themselves face. This article is about teaching inmates parenting skills. Not only would this allow for a better relationship between mother and child, but it was shown to also increase the inmate’s self-esteem. These skills are also important to the children because it was shown that with better parenting skills, the children have lower rates of delinquency.

I found this article to be very helpful in my paper. It gives me a very personal angle to present to my audience, and it will help tie in my main issue. I feel that it will make my paper much more interesting. The article was well written, and presented both useful facts and opinions. The authors made it simple for anyone to read, and that is very important because it could have easily been made difficult. I found this article very helpful.

4. Journal-“Getting Out—and Staying Out.” ABA Journal

McMillion, Rhonda. "Getting Out-- and Staying Out." ABA Journal 93 (2007): 64+. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. LSU, Baton Rouge. 15 Apr. 2008.

This journal article was about the Second Chance Act. The Second Chance Act aims to lower the recidivism rates by providing inmates with schooling, job training, life skills, medical help, and housing aid. This act hopes to lower the recidivism rates and help ease the money that taxpayers are giving. It also hopes to help the children of criminals because they too would reap the benefits of this act. The author would like people to become knowledgeable on this issue so that more inmates can be aided.

I had never heard of this act before, and while the article was very short it informed me on all that I needed to know. It was aimed at informing people and it did a very good job, as it was short and to the point. This article will be very helpful in my paper because it shows action that is being taken to help the inmates outside of prison, and offers another angle that will interest the reader.

5. Internet Source- “Learning Behind Bars: Time to Liberate Prison Education”

Bayliss, Phil. "Learning Behind Bars: Time to Liberate Prison Education." Studies in the Education of Adults 35 (2003): 157-172. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. LSU, Baton Rouge. 15 Apr. 2008.

This article focused on the prison system in the United Kingdom and the call to reform it. It presented the argument that education is essential in lowering recidivism rates in cons, and also allows them to assimilate to life outside of prison because they have some sort of training. It detailed how the education has changed in Great Britain. It has gone from a form of physical education and job training to a more liberal arts education. The author found that this allowed for a more self-aware prisoner who wanted to better themselves.

I found this article to be very helpful as it showed a different country’s point of view. This helps my argument because many countries are focusing on this issue, not just America. I enjoyed how this article employed some history of their prison system, because it shows how progress has been made. I think that this piece was very helpful and can be used in a variety of ways.
6. Internet Source- “Cons in Class”

Ellin, Abby. "Cons in Class." New York Times 3 Aug. 2003, sec. 4A: 28. Academic Search Premier. LexisNexis. LSU, Baton Rouge. 15 Apr. 2008.

While this article can be viewed as very controversial, it was the most interesting that I read. Instead of statistics and studies, it was all about the inmates who are receiving the education. It focused on two men. It told their stories before prison, and what happened after they were arrested. Both had some education before, but after studying in prison they have gotten their college degrees. Both look for solace in learning while in prison, and hope to continue their learning once out.

This article can definitely be used to draw the reader in, as it is a human interest story. It was very personal and it identifies each individual with the inmate. We hear their struggles and what they are doing to better themselves. They talk about their favorite books and inspirational leaders. It was a very interesting article, and could definitely be used in my paper.

7. Internet Source- “History of Prisons”

"History of Prisons." Prison Me- No Way! 2004. The No-Way Trust Ltd. 15 Apr. 2008 .

This internet page was put up by the British government. It details the history of prisons, and divides each category into time periods. It included pictures which were helpful in allowing me to get a clear picture in my mind. It included many facts and it is clear how much the prison system has changed since its start.

I found this to be very helpful in showing how education in prisons is something that has just become popular. Prisons used to offer nothing but the bare essentials, and thus people came out worse than they came in. This will be effective in painting a picture of why education prison is so important.