Colleagues,

We have only two more days to devote to this topic. I hope everyone  
who wants to say something related to the topic will. I am glad that  
some participants who thought they would only read have decided to  
contribute to the discussion.  I hope others will, too.

Now that all four of our guests are with us I hope that we can hear  
all their perspectives on some of the questions that have not yet  
been fully answered. (See a list of these below).

Thanks, Kiel, for opening up the question of transition from  
corrections education to college. I would like to hear from our guest  
experts, and others, about what has been effective in helping  
released inmates transition to post-secondary education.

I know that many years ago there were federal subsidies for inmates  
to take college courses. (I was an Academic Dean at a small college  
that had an MA program that served inmates and that was paid for  
entirely by federal financial aid.)  I believe those days are gone,  
but wonder if there are college courses of any kind offered to  
inmates with the goal of having them enroll as on-campus or online  
students once they are released.

I would also like to hear from more community-based organizations, if  
there are some represented here, with their perspectives on what  
works in transitioning inmates to community-based education. (Thanks  
John Gordon for the thoughtful and detailed answers you have provided  
about what the Fortune Society in New York City does, an inspiration  
for many other community-based programs.)

Here are some of the questions that have not yet been fully addressed  
yet by our guests or by other participants:

1. When an inmate who has been in an education program inside a state  
corrections institution or county jail is released, what needs to  
happen for him or her to connect to and stick with a community-based  
education program?
2. Are you aware of any exemplary models of connections between  
inside education and community based education programs? Can you tell  
us about them?
3. What can community-based education programs do to partner with  
corrections education programs that release inmates back to their  
communities?
4. What do you see as the main differences between career educational  
programs through public or private post-secondary institutions and  
community education programs?  How do these differences account for  
the success or failure of students in these programs?
5.  What spectrum of crimes have these students committed?  What are  
the most common?  How does the severity of the crime relate to their  
outcomes in community educational programs and subsequent attempts to  
find employment...or does it?
6. What are the significant research findings on the topic of  
successful transitions from prison education to community education  
programs?  What are best practices that might have been discovered  
from the research.
7. Are the "soft skills" being taught (in corrections and community- 
based education programs), such things as attitude, attendance,  
punctuality, honesty, dependability, teamwork, listening skills......?
8. Could you give examples of state or county corrections  
institutions and community-based institutions where personal  
relationships have been built and sustained over time so that a  
referral phone call or an email about an inmate who is being released  
results in a warm welcome to the community-based education program,  
perhaps as part of a number of community services (housing,  
employment, health  care, counseling) provided on release. If so,  
what enables these relationships? What sustains them? What undermines  
them?
9. The House and Senate have passed the Second Chance Act. Could you  
describe what provisions this important bill includes.
10. Are there good examples of collaborations or partnerships between  
corrections and community education programs where they both use the  
same online learning, videos, or software. If so, could you describe  
these programs?
11. In a previous discussion here on corrections education we learned  
that there is at least one corrections program where inmates can --  
under careful supervision by teachers -- use the Internet.  Are there  
others? Is this a trend?
12. Are there examples where corrections education programs have  
taken online options (online software or education web sites for  
example) and brought them inside as stand-alone (not Internet  
connected) options?
13. What happens in the prisons and jail when the inmate cannot  
read?  Do you
have programs to address this issue?

Are there other unanswered questions?


David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net



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