The Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education released a new report, Reentry Education Model Implementation Study: Promoting Reentry Success through Continuity of Education Opportunities.
The study found that strong partnerships between education providers and correctional facilities are essential to offering quality correctional education and maintaining educational continuity as formerly incarcerated people reenter the community. Some practices that are crucial to sustaining partnerships are highlighted. These include facilitating good communication among partners, particularly through in-person meetings; recognizing and respecting the different priorities and organizational cultures of all of the partners; and engaging both frontline staff and senior leadership.
In addition to these partnerships, the study showed that focusing on transitions into and out of correctional facilities and providing programs leading to career pathways can significantly enable incarcerated individuals to continue their education and prepare for good jobs. “Moments of transition”—entry into or release from a correctional facility—are key points for recruiting and retaining students in educational programs. Thus, effective recruitment and class assignment strategies can improve students’ program of study retention and completion rates. Once students have transitioned from corrections facilities, the study found, wrap-around reentry support services, such as college and career counseling, are important in recruiting and retaining students in community-based reentry education programs.
Education that is focused on high-demand career pathways can use stackable credentials—and jobs that would be accessible to individuals with criminal histories— to offer more opportunities for the previously incarcerated to earn a living wage and avoid recidivism. Career assessment and exploration can enable students to see not only how their interests connect to potential careers, but also what credentials are needed for various jobs within a career pathway.
What are your thoughts about this study and what does it mean to you in the field?
Brooke
istasb@cowley.edu