This study explores a group of inmates' perceptions of their correctional education and environment based on Fetterman's 1994 idea of empowerment evaluation. A group of 16 male inmates were randomly selected from GED and ABE courses in a high minimum correctional facility in Illinois. A self-administered questionnaire included 5 topics:…

This study looks at incarcerated youth in the public juvenile detention facilities of Wisconsin. State percentages of youth in Wisconsin public schools with Emotional, Learning, Cognitive, and/or Low Incidence Disabilities are compared to percentages reported from the state and county operated juvenile detention facilities. The study investigates…

Many research studies support using students' opinions to improve schools (Bechtel & Reed, 1998; Campbell, Edgar, & Halstead, 1994; Corbet & Wilson, 1995; & SooHoo, 1993). In these studies, Klingner & Vaughn (1999), noted researchers in the area of student inclusion, demonstrated that using student feedback to evaluate teachers and programs was…

The purpose of this article is to illustrate a number of the deficiencies that currently exist in our understanding of women's participation in prison education, and to offer alternative methods to reduce such deficiencies. Through a review of empirical studies that examine the conditions of women's prisons and two trend studies examining women's…

This update discusses the "Reentry National Media Outreach Campaign," a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation that exists to bring the issues of prisoner reentry to greater public awareness. The U.S. Department of Education has been charged with administering the "Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners Program," a discretionary grant program…

As the male prison population increases, so too does the number of children with fathers in prison. The negative impact of fatherlessness on children has been well documented. While parenting education is often seen as an effective tool to improve the quality of family relationships and foster positive outcomes for children, fathers in prison…

The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of 62 adolescent females residing in a correctional facility about their use of the Internet to participate in chat room conversations. Findings indicated that 54 of 62 girls (87.09%), with a mean age of 16.72 years, participated in chat room interactions. Most (n = 47) interacted in chat rooms…

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the perceived barriers to employment incarcerated youth felt they faced. Due to the uniqueness of this population, a measure tool entitled "My Future Employment Outlook" was designed to assess their particular perceptions. Three hundred seventeen juveniles in a southwestern correctional facility…

The relationship of post-secondary correctional education (PSCE) and recidivism has been widely studied with various, idiosyncratic results. A meta-analysis of ten years of existing studies was conducted to synthesize a portion of the past research. This study demonstrates, using relevant studies reported from 1990 - 1999, that there is a positive…

A boot camp is a military style correctional facility in which inmates are subject to a highly structured and challenging regimen of physical training, in addition to vocational, educational, and therapeutic programming (Cronin and Han, 1994; Austin, Jones, and Bolyard, 1993; Mackenzie and Souryal, 1991). Originally introduced to rehabilitate…

Despite the powerful, pervasive institutional imperatives of the prison to control, discipline and house inmates, teachers seem to care deeply for their students. They also intuitively know that caring is very much a part of a successful teaching practice behind bars. This descriptive study contributes to a framework of teacher caring in prison…

The literature provides ample evidence of the relationship of substance abuse to crime. Research over the last 20 years has established a strong correlation between substance abuse and juvenile delinquency (held, 1998). Currently, there are more than 350,000 juveniles on probation and in continuing care programs in the U.S. who have substance…

Criminologists and politicians have debated the effectiveness of correctional rehabilitation programs since the mid-1970s when criminal justice scholars and policy makers throughout the United States embraced Robert Martinson's credo of "nothing works." Programs based around punishment and surveillance grew. They are being embraced even stronger…

Substance Use and HIV Prevention Program (SHIP) is a school-based intervention model designed to reverse detrimental trajectories in nonsexual (i.e., substance use) and sexual behaviors by adapting two research-supported interventions: Reconnecting Youth and Street Smart. The Social Development Model provides the theoretical and conceptual basis.…

In this update, Linton reports on Congressional filing of a number of bills that involve the topic of prisoner reentry. In addition, he presents a key section of Attorney General John Ashcroft's address (Cleveland, Ohio, September 2004) on prisoner reentry. In this speech, Ashcroft called for a concerted effort to managing a balanced approach:…