Prison Education Helps Offenders Integrate Better In Society

Prison education can help offenders find jobs.

When offenders finish serving their sentences, they can depend on their education and newly acquired skills to make a living. In an indirect manner, prison education can also help to reduce crime rates.

How offenders end up in prison.

There are many possible reasons why an individual would end up in prison. Some come from difficult family circumstances - violence, crime, drugs, etc. In such circumstances, it is easy for an individual to commit a crime out of desperation. Some people commit crime simply because they have a moment of weakness. Then there are those who commit crime due to psychological reasons.

It would probably take a few book volumes to explore all the possible reasons. After an individual has been put into prison, the question then becomes, "What is going to happen to this individual?" Is there no future?

It is a sad fact of life that many offenders are not given second chances in society. Employers tend to shun offenders simply because of their background. It's just harder to trust someone with a criminal record.

So it doesn't really make a lot of sense to lock someone up, and then throw him back into the streets without any effort to integrate the offender back into society. This is, of course, easier said than done.

The role of prison education.

Education is the key to giving offenders a better chance at having a new life. The reality is that offenders have to put in extra effort to show potential employers that they are sincere in making any lasting transformation. In other words, they must first put in the effort to show others that they truly want to contribute to society in a meaningful way. They can do this through education. By spending time acquiring the necessary knowledge, they are putting themselves in a better position to find jobs. Having a job means that the offender now has a means of living. Spending more time at a job also means that there is less time for criminal related behavior. The offender has a better chance to stay off crime with a job.

Key benefits of prison education.

Having educational programs in prison makes the facility a whole lot easier to run. Daily living becomes more routine and disciplined.

With educational programs in place, inmates no longer feel that all hope is lost. There will be less violence as offenders spend more of their time acquiring knowledge. Time is spent in a constructive manner.

The benefits extend out of the prison facility. When prisoners leave the facility, they go back and try to integrate back into society. Education gives them hope. When they find jobs and stay employed, they are, in effect, contributing to nation building.

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