Criminal Justice System, Schools in the

History of Correctional Education

The history of education in U.S. prisons dates back to 1787. Publicly funded education in a correctional facility began when clergyman William Rogers, accompanied by armed guards, offered instruction at the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia. Throughout the more than 220-year history of correctional education, numerous advances have been developed. Many are now common practices within modern public school systems in the United States. Pioneers who advanced the practice of education in the correctional systems include Zebulon Brockway in his work at the Elmira Reformatory; Austin MacCormic, author of the seminal publication The Education of Adult Prisoners; William Grady, the associate superintendent of schools in New York City, who reviewed the individual prescribed instruction (IPI); and Dr. John McKee, who is responsible for innovative work at the Draper Correctional Institution in Alabama.

Nine essential elements recur in almost all successful correctional educational (CE) programs:

• 1.
  Pedagogy/andragogy
• 2.
  Vocational education
• 3.
  Social education
• 4.
  Cultural education
• 5.
  Shared responsibility
• 6.
  Inclusion
• 7.
  Technology
• 8.
  Library
• 9.
  Administrative configuration

These elements allow for a well-rounded, comprehensive effort that ensures the quality of the correctional education program. The philosophical underpinnings of most CE programs tend to fall under one of the following three models: the medical model, which uses a diagnostic/prescriptive methodology; the opportunities model, which emphasizes flexibility in delivery methods to accommodate the needs of the individual learner; and the cognitive deficiency model, which focuses on developing literacy that promotes the inmate's ability to make better moral decisions that can lead to lower recidivism and to the development of a healthy social lifestyle.

Correctional Educational Systems

The correctional education systems (CES) serve the correctional population at a variety of levels and represent demographics ranging from children and adolescents in the juvenile justice system to adults in jails and prisons, as well as those on probation and parole. Because of the high percentage of the incarcerated who do not have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED), almost all facilities provide some form of adult basic education with the expressed desire to get inmates reading at least at the sixth-grade level. Some long-term facilities housing juvenile populations actually have schools that are governed by individual state boards of education. The GED is frequently a goal for many adolescents and adults who have long-term sentences in correctional facilities.

Access to postsecondary education has been much more controversial in the past. In 1993, Congress passed legislation terminating the prison population's access to Pell Grants to fund their education. Since that time, alternative funding has been allocated through a variety of other sources. The development of new technologies such as online classes and degrees has increased the opportunities for accessing higher education.

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