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Results for correctional education programs

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Author: Texas. Sunset Advisory Commission

Title: Windham School District: Schools in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Sunset Self-Evaluation Report

Summary: Mission: The Windham School District (WSD) will provide appropriate educational programming and services to meet the needs of the eligible offender population in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and reduce recidivism by assisting offenders in becoming responsible, productive members of their communities. Statutory Goals: (1) reduce recidivism; (2) reduce the cost of confinement or imprisonment; (3) increase the success of former inmates in obtaining and maintaining employment; and (4) provide an incentive to inmates to behave in positive ways during confinement or imprisonment. (TEC, §19.003) Statutory Powers and Duties: The district may establish and operate schools at the various facilities of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. (TEC, §19.002) The district shall: (1) develop educational and vocational training programs specifically designed for persons eligible under Section 19.005, and (2) coordinate educational programs and services in the department with those provided by other state agencies, by political subdivisions, and by persons who provide programs and services under contract. (TEC, §19.004), The key functions continue to serve the following ongoing objectives: 1. reduce recidivism; 2. reduce the cost of confinement or imprisonment; 3. increase the success of former inmates in obtaining and maintaining employment; and 4. provide an incentive to inmates to behave in positive ways during confinement or imprisonment. The functions are still needed for the following reasons: • Thousands of offenders in TDCJ lack the educational background and basic skills necessary to obtain employment upon release or participate in advanced educational programs. The typical WSD student: - dropped out of school in the 9th or 10th grade, - functions at the 5th or 6th grade level, - has an IQ of 86, - has a history of academic failure, - has a defensive and/or negative attitude, - has low self-esteem, - has little confidence in self to find employment, - has limited ability to visualize a productive future, - has difficulty with relationships, - has difficulty controlling anger, and - exhibits impulsive behavior. - Windham School District serves as a dropout recovery program for thousands of offenders who never completed high school. Offenders as young as 14 years of age may be incarcerated in TDCJ facilities. According to the TDCJ Statistical Report for 2010, nearly 2,800 offenders were under the age of 20 - still eligible for public school. Additionally, more than 44,000 offenders were between the ages of 20 and 29. Most of these offenders lack a high school diploma, have no significant work history, and lack the skills and credentials necessary to compete successfully for jobs. Many lack even the most basic academic skills, not to mention the higher order thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills that are typically required in today's workplace. - In 2010, WSD provided educational services to 326 offenders who were seventeen years of age or younger, and an additional 5,964 offenders throughout the system who were public school age. - Education programs serve as a prison management tool. Participation in education programs is tied directly to an offender's classification status and serves as a behavioral incentive. Additionally, offenders who are actively engaged in productive activities are far less likely to create a disturbance than those who are idle. There is also a cost savings in terms of security operations. Education employees supervise thousands of offenders in classrooms every day.

Details: Austin, TX: The Advisory Commission, 2011.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 6, 2016 at: https://www.sunset.texas.gov/public/uploads/files/reports/Windham%20School%20District%20SER%202011%2083rd%20Leg_0.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: https://www.sunset.texas.gov/public/uploads/files/reports/Windham%20School%20District%20SER%202011%2083rd%20Leg_0.pdf

Shelf Number: 147858

Keywords:
Correctional Education Programs
Correctional programs
Rehabilitation Programs

Author: Wang, Eugene W.

Title: Windham School District Evaluation: Post-Release Wage-Earning and Recidivism Outcomes

Summary: Windham School District (WSD) is the education provider for offenders within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). WSD is required to complete a biennial evaluation and report of the effectiveness of its program, in accordance with S.B. 213 Sec 19.0041. WSD has compiled data regarding participation in its programs, including academic programs, vocational training, and life skills programs. Researchers at Texas Tech University's Institute for Measurement, Methodology, Analysis and Policy (IMMAP) performed analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of WSD programming by examining correlations between program attendance and completion and outcomes in areas such as institutional disciplinary violations, GED attainment and grade-level gains, and post-release wage-earning and subsequent arrests and confinements. The following report provides detailed results and findings for the above analyses. These analyses are based on WSD educational data for all offenders released during the 2010-2011 fiscal years. For offenders who were released during the 2010-2011 school year, those released in 2011 do not have complete data pertaining to the definitions for subsequent arrests and subsequent confinements during the three years post-release. An explanation for interpretation of this incomplete data is provided within the report. S.B. 213 Sec. 19.0041, titled “Program Data Collection and Biennial Evaluation and Report”, requires Windham School District (WSD) to compile and analyze information to determine whether its programs are meeting its goals, to make changes to the programs as necessary, and to submit a report to the Board, the Legislature, and the Governor’s office. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of its programs, WSD is required to conduct a biennial evaluation and report regarding the effectiveness for each of its programs, including performance-based information and data related to academic, vocational training, and life skills programs, specifically in the following areas: 1. Institutional Disciplinary Violations 2. Subsequent Arrests 3. Subsequent Confinements 4. The Cost of Confinement 5. Educational Achievement 6. High school equivalency examination passage 7. The kind of training services provided 8. The kind of employment the person obtains on release 9. Whether the employment was related to training 10. The difference between the amount of the person’s earnings on the date employment is obtained following release and the amount of those earnings on the first anniversary of that date 11. The retention factors associated with the employment

Details: Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University, Institute for Measurement, Methodology, Analysis & Policy, 2014. 95p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 6, 2016 at: http://www.windhamschooldistrict.org/images/PDF/other/Windham_School_District_Evaluation_Post-Release_Wage-Earning_Recidivism_Outcomes.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://www.windhamschooldistrict.org/images/PDF/other/Windham_School_District_Evaluation_Post-Release_Wage-Earning_Recidivism_Outcomes.pdf

Shelf Number: 140311

Keywords:
Correctional Education Programs
Ex-Offender Employment
Recidivism