A few months ago we posted an analysis of the simple, inverse relationship between educational attainment and criminal behavior - the more education people have, the less likely they are to be imprisoned in the first place, and education equates to spectacularly less recidivism in the second place.

Since then we have had some inquiries about higher education resources and programs for the incarcerated, so we have explored further.

We spoke recently with Sue Kennon and Dr. Mary Ann Knobloch Stone, who work with inmates at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women (VCCW ) in Goochland County. They point out that most of the higher education in prisons is provided by local community colleges. These are on-site programs, usually providing a limited number of courses. Four-year degrees (and graduate degrees) are earned through distance-learning programs from established institutions.

They tell us that the standard published reference book of resources in the field is Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning. The website http://www.degree.net/books/bearsguide.htm offers the Guide, and also provides excellent links to other websites associated with distance learning in general.

One problem is that many distance-learning programs are now web-based. Internet access for the incarcerated ranges from severely limited to, in most cases, none.

Ohio University (Athens) is a leader in offering distance learning programs for the incarcerated. Ohio U's CPI (College Program for the Incarcerated) "… services include academic advising, degree planning, linkage to other University offices and personnel, and package fees to make these services more accessible to the incarcerated."

As an example of cost, the flat fee for 6 to 8 Credit Hours is $880, and CPI fees cover all costs, including tuition, textbooks, supplies, and lesson postage. This simplicity is important for the imprisoned, since researching and identifying these costs in most other programs is difficult.

Advocates for Education for the Incarcerated

Detailed discussion of these state-specific issues and policy recommendations are available at several websites-none that we've found for Virginia, however.

There's an advocacy group based in California, Critical Resistance, devoted in their words, to the 'overthrow of the Prison Industrial Complex.' A publication is part of their campaign to educate the public on this subject. The discussion of California state budgets and trends is dispiriting but thorough, and the relevance of higher education for prisoners is given much weight.

In New York, CURE - Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants - also offers information and is directed toward mobilizing the public (once their awareness is aroused) to press for legislative redress in many areas of criminal justice, and principally through better access to education. (Dave Sagarin, March 31, 2004)