Degree Name

Education Specialist (EdS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1984

Thesis Director

Paul D. Overton

Abstract

Statement of Problem:

Overcrowded prisons and jails are a major concern of our society. As each day passes, we see more inmates in our prison system.

Nationally, there are well over 315,000 men and women in our state systems. There are approximately 185,000 in our jails and more than a million pass through the jail system each year. The average reading level of the inmates is roughly the seventh grade, and they function generally at about the ninth-grade level.

In the state of Illinois (January 1984), there were 15,000 inmates in the state prisons. Their average reading level is the eighth grade, and they function generally at about the ninth grade level. The approximate cost to maintain an inmate in prison today is $20,000 per year, and return rate of those leaving prison is 20 percent within the first year.

With this number of inmates flowing through the prison system of the state of Illinois, it becomes imperative that an excellent training program for the residents is in force with a properly trained/informed educational staff.

Procedures:

Magazines, periodicals, documents, and articles were read pertaining to the Corrections Divisions of the States of lllinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. Fact finding visits were made to the Centralia, Hillsboro, and Logan Correctional Centers for an input from other school administrators and staff personnel.

Many of the procedures used in developing this manual were through the trails and errors of day to day experience. Many of the forms were developed out of necessity to establish some system of accountability in providing data for the required reports in the most efficient method possible.

Conclusions:

In view of the new prison construction, a handbook pertaining to the Department of Corrections (D.O.C.) educational system and the Community College’s academic/vocational institutional program would be beneficial to the new educators entering a prison education system for initial employment.

The handbook would serve as a written statement of methodology, enabling a staff member to be professionally oriented to his/her particular teaching program and be able to advise residents accurately when asked questions pertaining to specific programs.

The Prisons’ Schools Systems, with no existing handbook for present and new staff members should consider such a project.

Recommendations:

The handbook, to be useful, must be revised periodically to reflect changes in School District #428 by the School Code and contractural changes imposed on the Comm unity College by the Department of Corrections. The staff of both schools should be involved in the continuing evaluation and improvement of the handbook.

The unique aspects of the respective prison educational program as well as the common aspects of their educational programs should be represented with appropriate annotations.

Using this handbook as a guide, the Prison Schools System could function more efficiently and be better prepared to meet the needs of the residents for whom the school systems were established to serve.

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