The following has been compiled by the National Institute for Correctional Education and is largely based on a Bureau of Justice Statistics Report, 'Education and Correctional Populations.'

1. What is the level of educational attainment of American Prisoners?

41.3% of the correctional population in America has attained only “some high school or less.” This compares to 18.4% of the general population.

12.7% of the correctional population in America has experienced some post-secondary education. This compares to 48.4% of the general population.

Source: Harlow, Caroline Wolf. “Education and Correctional Populations” BJS Special Report. January, 2003. (NCJ 195670)

2. What practical skills do inmates possess?

“About one third of prisoners are unable to perform such simple job-related tasks as locating an intersection on a street map, or identifying and entering basic information on an application. Another one-third are unable to perform slightly more difficult tasks such as writing an explanation of a billing error or entering information on an automobile maintenance form. Only about one in twenty can do things such as use a schedule to determine which bus to take.”

Source: Burrell, Sue and Loren Warboys. “Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System” Juvenile Justice Bulletin. OJJDP, July, 2000. (NCJ 179359)

3. What educational programs are offered in American correctional facilities?

Educational programs are offered in all federal prisons, 91% of state prisons, and 60% of jails.

Among state prisons, 80.4% offer basic adult education, 83.6% offer secondary education, 26.7% offer college courses, 39.6% offer special education, and 55.7% offer vocational training. Only 7.7% of state institutions offer study release programs.

In the federal system, 97.4% of prisons offer basic adult education, 98.7% offer secondary education, 80.5% offer college courses, 59.7% offer special education and 93.5% offer vocational training. Only 6.5% of federal prisons have a study release program.

Source: Harlow, Caroline Wolf. “Education and Correctional Populations” BJS Special Report, January 2003. (NCJ 195670)

4. Who participates in prison education programs?

51.9% of state prison inmates, and 56.4% of federal prison inmates participated in 1997. This is down from 1991 when the figures were 56.6% of state prison inmates and 67% of Federal Inmates. In 1996 14.1% of local jail inmates participated.

Source: Harlow, Caroline Wolf. “Education and Correctional Populations” BJS Special Report, January 2003. (NCJ 195670)

5. What are the Academic Characteristics of Incarcerated Youth?

Their intellectual functioning is in the low average to average range. Academic achievement levels are in the 5th to the 9th grade range, 1 year to several years below expected grade level. They possess significant reading, math, written and oral language deficits. For example, one state study found that half of incarcerated youth who completed 8th grade were reading at or above the 8th grade level. Other studies find reading levels of delinquent youth are at the 5th-7th grade level, some 2 years below that of their non-delinquent peers. Written and oral language skills are also significantly poorer. Math skills are blow expected grade level, e.g. less than 1/3 of those who completed 8th grade were functioning at that level. 40% of incarcerated youth have experienced grade retention. Finally, intellectual and academic functioning of non-recidivists is significantly higher than those of recidivists.

Source: Foley, Regina M. “Academic Characteristics of Incarcerated Youth and Correctional Educational Programs: A Literature Review” Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Winter 2001, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 248-259.

6. How many students with disabilities are there in the correctional system?

According to a recent national survey conducted by the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice, in collaboration with the National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice (CECP/EDJJ), “a conservative, preliminary estimate of the prevalence of youth with disabling conditions in juvenile corrections is 32%.” This compares to a prevalence rates of 9% among school-age children in the United States. 46% of youth with a disability in corrections had a primary diagnosis of specific learning disability, and some 45% had an emotional disturbance.

84% of youth in short-term detention facilities, 48% of youth in long-term correctional facilities, and 29% of youth in adult corrections facilities were enrolled in education programs. Only 17% of their teachers were fully certified to teach special education.

Source: Quinn, Mary M., Robert B. Rutherford, Jr., and Peter E. Leone “Students with Disabilities in Correctional Facilities” ERIC EC Digest # E621, December 2001.

7. What is the status of Post-Secondary Programs in Correctional Facilities?

According to a May, 2002 report, 47.4% of inmates are eligible for such programs, but only 14.2% participate. That translates to 6.7% of the total. This is a rebound from the lower participation rates of the late 1990s, which were 3.8%. However this recovery may be misleading because changing definitions of post-secondary correctional education have occurred—today these figures include vocational training programs.

Source: Tewksbury, Richard. “Post-Secondary Correctional Education: Trends in Participation, Completion, Accessibility, Obstacles and Definitions.” Report submitted to U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, May 2002.