Argues that the medical model and the current cognitive model in corrections are based on a subject-object relationship between keepers and prisoners. Suggests approaches to correctional rehabilitation that facilitate transformations in prisoners' lives by relating to them as subjects rather than as objects. (JOW)

Predicted vs. actual recidivism of 119 high-risk offenders aged 20-29 who had completed postsecondary prison education was compared. Despite a low predicted success rate, they achieved higher grade point averages, acquired more postrelease education, and had less recidivism. Success factors included a culture of academic achievement and student…

Discusses the 1993 termination of postsecondary education programs in Canadian prisons. Contrasts this with a follow-up study of 654 released offenders, showing the effects higher education had on their successful post-prison lives. (SK)

Argues that using recidivism as a measure of the effectiveness of prison education is politically necessary, theoretically appropriate, and methodologically practical. Describes the methodology of scientific realism, which attempts to answer why an educational approach works for some but not for others. (SK)

Makes three arguments about prison education and its potential role in shaping the lives of students: (1) many criminals and most prisoners are different in some fundamental ways from their citizen peers; (2) education does not necessarily lead to change in behavior; and (3) prison education can have an impact on knowing, writing, and doing. (JOW)

A case exists for there being a moral dimension to prison education and a case against moral education programs in prison. The argument is made that prisoners are one part of a large group of citizens who suffer from uneven development in the cognitive and moral realms due to biographical and structural factors. (Author/CT)