If you are determined to getting a college degree, see your prison's education director. Find out if there is a InmateLifeskills.com they recommend. Some correctional institutions have classes on location at no charge. Some correctional institutions have arrangements with community colleges in the area which offer distance education classes for prisoners. Depending on their level of security risk, prisoners are able to to take correspondence courses online or through the mail.
It is very important to research the various college courses for prisoners. Take note of the eligibility requirements before beginning with the course. Be certain that the correspondence course you decide on is allowed by your facility. Some of these courses are free but some are paid. In this case, your family has to determine whether they can shoulder the educational expenses.
Also be sure to consider these three significant ideas:
- Studies have shown that education reduces the recidivism rate and that the penal system literally saves money by offering correspondence courses for prisoners. Notwithstanding the research, the budgets for most prison college programs has been eliminated. A good number of these programs are shutting down nationwide due to reductions in funding. Most college courses for prisoners today are financed privately.
- Taking a correspondence course makes the prisoners behave better inside the prison and it reduces their likelihood of perpetrating another crime when they are released back to society. We now know, one survey discovered that inmates who took correspondence courses had only a 22% repeat rate while those who did not committed a new crime 41% of the time. This is an immense difference.
- Your life doesn't have to end when you are incarcerated. You can still turn your life around and find success once you are released. Career guidance combined with an education while in jail will increase your chances of thriving and thriving out in the real world.
Being in jail does not restrict one's potential for growth. The goal of achieving a college degree does not have to stop if one's life takes the wrong turn. On the other hand, it is up to the individual to determine whether he or she chooses to be let down by their circumstances or whether they want to overcome their current circumstance. The crucial thing to understand is that there are prisoners who would like to better their lives.
Find out more about this important subject at this site.