Correctional Education

Helping prisoners rejoin their communities

Education can help former inmates reintegrate into their communities, saving tax dollars and reducing recidivism. Community colleges provide some 68 percent of postsecondary correctional education. MPR examined prison–community college partnerships in 11 states to see how partnerships are formed, what needs they meet, and how they benefit inmates, the colleges, and the community. Prisons seek partnerships with community colleges because of affordability and location, while the colleges consider serving the prison population an important part of their mission. View Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Prisons (PDF, 377 KB)

Understanding correctional education

It is impossible to develop an accurate nationwide picture of the scope and effectiveness of correctional education because there is limited comparable data across states. This lack of information, in turn, can affect correctional education policy and funding. With the help of correctional education administrators from 12 states, MPR designed a data guide and website that enables state officials to gather and share comparable data on correctional education.
Visit Correctional Education Data Network.