Prison Education in the United States of America

The United States of America ranks third among the most populous countries in the world behind India and China. However, the US ranks first among countries with the most prison population. Recent statistics from the Office of Justice program in the US Department of Justice show that about 2.5 million people are locked up in prisons or the so-called correctional facilities across the United States. These facilities are made up of nearly 2000 state prisons scattered among the 50 states, 102 federal prisons, about 2300 and 3300 juvenile prisons and local jails respectively, including 79 Indian Country jails (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016; Wagner & Rabuy, 2015). This chapter looks at the state of prison education in the US through the prism of racism. However, the chapter does not claim to have a complete evaluation of the situation of learning and teaching in penitentiaries in the US.

Prison Education in Europe

Prison education in Europe differs across countries and jurisdictions. While there are some common features that link the countries of Europe together, this chapter examines the similarities and differences across a range of jurisdictions linked more by geography than ideology in prison education programs. It begins by locating imprisonment in its wider social, political, economic and cultural contexts. Due to the characteristics of the particular learner group and unique environment, this chapter contends that a more informal, non-traditional approach to education is necessary to realize the potential for education in prison. It examines how the space for pedagogy can be achieved in coercive environments by positioning prison education within an adult education approach and concludes with some recommendations for future research.

Prison Environments

This chapter deals with the historical development of prison environments, linked to the context of inmate development. Since early days, the prison environment has always accounted for some form of inmate development. New-generation prisons have brought a more profound influence in the area of inmate development. However, there has been a larger emphasis on security in the prison environment, compared to inmate development. In addition, the inmate subculture has a fundamental influence on the interaction between the prison environment and inmate education and development. With this in mind, the chapter provides an overview of prison environments through the ages up to post-modern times. It constantly addresses the interaction between environment and education from the perspective of the relevant era of prison evolution.

Learning Programs or Educational Curricula for Prisons in the Twenty-First Century?

This chapter states that there exists a difference between a learning program and an educational curriculum. Beneficiary-learners participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of learning programs whereas educational curricula are offered by some authorities who hardly consult with potential learners and who oversee the fashioning, execution and evaluation of the programs they have developed. The chapter draws attention to the fact that with regards to education in prison, the world is currently divided into three camps (nations that believe in the provision of a full range of educational services to prisoners, those that hold the view that only a limited provision of educational services is needed and nations that think prisoners deserve no education). The chapter ends by supplying a rationale for the provision of learning programs to the prisoner and the psycho-social and temporal sources from where the building blocks for such learning programs should be derived.

Issues in Prison Higher Education

This chapter evaluates higher education within a correctional set-up. The relationship between education and crime, and how education can shape (facilitate) or curb crime are explored. Education as a prevailing tool in offender self-development and rehabilitation forms the focus of this chapter. Furthermore, incarcerated learners' access to Information Communication Technology - the dire need hereof, as well as the disadvantages linked to internet access - is scrutinized. Research findings that are related to incarcerated learners' perceptions, experiences and obstacles with regards to tertiary education illustrate their stark reality with education in prison. The chapter concludes with thoughts that more correctional and community financial and emotional support are needed to ease incarcerated learners' educational journey in prison.

Prison Education in Nigeria

This chapter explores prison education in Nigeria and examines its history, programs, methods, and challenges. It makes the point that prison services and education are not alien to the Nigerian and African settings. However, whereas traditional African prison education emphasizes restorative justice and learning, modern prison services tend to amplify punishment. While rehabilitation is one goal of incarceration, an all-inclusive prison education in Nigeria is still at a nascent stage. The chapter suggests ways of improving current practices and consolidating gains through specific interventions and researches.

History of Prison Education in Ghana

The needs to discipline and train prisoners for work, has become a convention that all nations including Ghana have come to accept with a view to churning out productive ex-prisoners. Thus, the aim prison education programs in Ghana is to turn inmates into useful citizens and the purpose of vocational training is to equip prisoners with skills which they can utilize to make a living. Additionally, the purpose for setting up the Junior and Senior High Schools is to give a second chance to inmates who dropped out of school before they were incarcerated. Similarly, the functional literacy program was introduced to teach illiterate prisoners how to read and write English, Akan, Ga, and Ewe languages. The chapter also discusses the duration, enrollment, teachers and the challenges of the programs. In addition, the general education program focuses on the curriculum, examination, and class attendance. The themes covered provide information on how prisoners are prepared toward reintegration in Ghana.

Education Within the Middle East and North African Prisons

This chapter explores prison education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with a particular focus on Lebanese prisons and prison education. The chapter takes Roumieh prison in Lebanon as a case study to operationalize Knowles' theory of andragogy. The chapter discusses the nature and types of curricula, learner-facilitator relationship, educational delivery methods and security favored by Knowles' theory that can promote a fairly successful prison education practice in MENA. In particular, the chapter submits that the application of Knowles' theory to prison education in MENA would lead ultimately to prisoners grieving over lost opportunities in past years, come to terms with their present life, and become intrinsically motivated to correctly invest in their own future.

Corrections and Punishment Approaches in South Africa

In this chapter, the authors focus on corrections and punishment in South Africa by drawing from the historical background of corrections to current punishment approaches. The different punishment eras are described ranging from the Colonial Era to Apartheid and finally Democratization. Within each of these eras the punishment philosophy is discussed. The authors then proceed with a discussion of current punishment approaches, which include incapacitation, retribution, rehabilitation and deterrence, with the last two approaches being applied to the South African context. Regarding deterrence, minimum sentence legislation is used as an example to illustrate how long term imprisonment may deter people from committing crime. However, the consequence of such a punishment approach is the overcrowding of prisons. Rehabilitation of offenders is discussed from the viewpoint of nothing works to what works and includes a description of rehabilitation programs and the introduction of victim-offender-dialogues in South African prisons.

Why People Commit Crime

This chapter considers why people commit crime. It reviews the most common explanations for criminal behavior utilized by criminologists. These theories cover a range of explanations including Rational Choice theories suggesting that offenders make a decision to commit crimes, and Positivist explanations where the biological and psychological makeup as well as social environment predispose individuals to criminality. Theories that examine the society itself and how unequal circumstances allow for greater criminality amongst those who are more disadvantaged are also explored. The Integrated theories combine the strongest arguments from traditional crime theories creating a more generally applicable theory of crime. There are many different theories to explain crime and criminality but there is no explanation that is universally applicable which can explain all crimes and all criminal behavior.