Hello David,
 
This is my response.  I could not find a way to click and respond  
automatically to all the responses.  So I would appreciate it if you post  my remarks.
 
 
 
I have been reading the messages from the last few days and wanted to put  my 
two cents in for whatever it is worth.  Sorry about not writing sooner  but I 
have been on travel and have had limited email capability.  There are  so 
many interesting questions and responses that I do not know where to  begin, so 
here goes.
 
There are actually a lot of post secondary programs going on across the  
country as noted in the recent Learning to Reduce Recidivism by  The Institute for 
Higher Education, funded by the Ford Foundation.  Go to  _www.ihep.org_ 
(http://www.ihep.org)  for a copy of the  report.  It was rather encouraging that 
many states are doing good  things with state funds and grants for youthful 
offenders out of John  Linton's office.  It is disappointing that, after setting 
up the  grants for youthful offenders with support from Senators Specter and  
Kennedy and a few others that we have not been able to extend the age limit 
for  these funds beyond age 25.  We thought that we could bump the limit up  to 
35 this year and found out recently that the amendments have been dropped at  
the insistence of House members in the conference committee.   What it means 
is that all of us need to get pro-active and carry the message  forward that 
education does reduce crime and post secondary is one of the most  
cost-effective tools to do so.  We have not been out there  enough getting the message 
around to all public officials.  CEA will  lead a new effort to do so and we hope 
to make a lots of noise and bring many  other associations and organizations 
along with us during the next congressional  session and expand post secondary 
and other educational opportunities for  the incarcerated, both youth and 
adult.  
 
One of the respondents  talked about having a strand for  parenting at the 
next CEA annual conference which will be in Atlanta in July,  2007.  Please see 
our website at _www.ceanational.org_ (http://www.ceanational.org) .   We 
currently have general information and will soon post how to  apply for 
presentations.  One of the strands we are going to  feature is parenting.  So please join 
us for this topics and many  others.  
 
I retired from Maryland adult corrections two years ago and was very  
interested and involved in parenting.  Cay Buser made some  comments about efforts 
being led by Glennor Shirley through the library,  particularly at the women's 
facility.  Up until recently there was also a  program at the Maryland 
Correctional Institution - Jessup for men.   Over the years some of the things they 
have done include  getting new or like new children's book donations from 
various sources  and setting up events in the visitor's room every other month.  The 
 wife, grandmother, significant other, whatever would come and  the father's 
would read with the children and other family  members.  There would be other 
educational and fun activities for the kids  as well.  The children would all 
go home with some brand new or like new  books.  I can't tell you how 
motivating that was for the fathers and the  children.  It was interesting because the 
men would have to learn to read  the children's books ahead of time.  There 
was no stigma for the men to  learn to read through children's literature.  It 
provided a great incentive  for the men and the atmosphere of the events 
always brought tears to your  eyes.  I would go there on Saturday mornings and come 
home all  energized.  
 
Ohio has creative beautiful reading areas in each visitors  room.  A trained 
inmate aide is responsible to assist the visiting  children to select and read 
books.  The normally drab visitors  rooms are made so much more comfortable 
with these colorful areas with rugs  and soft furniture, artwork, brochures, 
etc....  You can  contact Dr. Jerry McGlone's office for more information at  
614-752-0305.  I have been to a good number of prisons in Ohio in  recent years 
and this is a great program.
 
Ohio also has a very extensive post secondary education program which  
involved 15 colleges throughout the state.  CEA evaluates five programs per  year in 
accordance with Ohio state law.  The attendance and completion  rates are all 
above 90% and all the colleges accept each others courses as  inmates move 
through the various prisons or are released to continue on the  outside.  The 
accountability system that Ohio has put in place is the best  I have seen and 
the quality of the programs is exceptional.
 
There are a lot of inmates, like Malcolm X did, who become interested in  
education and are self-motivated.   But I believe after all these  years of 
working in prisons and seeing programs that the prison and the school  in the 
prison sets the tone.  Hopefully, the entire correctional system has  strong 
policies to encourage inmates to go to school and do well.  That  makes things even 
better.  I used to think that you could not lead an  inmate to education 
anymore than it was possible to herd cats.  I no  longer believe that.  While the 
decision ultimately rests with the inmate,  the prison either sets up 
incentives and awards, and creates an atmosphere  that values programs or it doesn't.  
If it does lots of otherwise  unmotivated students become involved for one 
reason or another and many of  them get motivated as they become successful and 
overcome their years of  negative educational experiences.
 
Steve Steurer    
 
    
 
 
 
Stephen J.  Steurer, Ph.D., Executive Director
Correctional Education Association
8182  Lark Brown Road Suite 202
Elkridge, MD 21075
tel: 443-459-3081 
fax:  443-459-3088
www.ceanational.org
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