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| Moving Vocational Education for Corrections to the Internet |
| By Donald P. Dougherty |
| Published: 07/17/2002 |
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Some state correctional agencies are making a valid effort to build programs that are representative of today's modern work environments. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, for example, offers 27 different specific vocational occupations with several more in the planning stages (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, August 2001). Vocational education has become an integral part of the planning and design of Ohio's new prisons. The Richland Correctional Institution is a vocational theme prison with 18 vocational programs. Input from both a statewide vocational advisory committee and occupationally specific crafts councils continue to validate and ensure the appropriateness of program selection and budgetary requirements. The programs offered prepare inmates for a 'real-life' work environment that is ready to meet them upon release. The Massachusetts Department of Corrections has a similar program to Ohio's, but they also offer technology training to their inmates. The Division of Inmate Training and Education provides comprehensive academic and occupational (vocational training) programs and services to assist offenders in becoming more productive citizens upon release (Massachusetts Department of Corrections, August 2001). To this end, all programs focus on the needs of the individual to cope with and to make a positive contribution to an increasingly more technological society. Emphasis is placed upon competency, development of basic literacy skills and the acquisition of salable skills along with an appreciation of the work ethic. In addition, a computer technology program offers inmates modern-day skills for each inmate to gain knowledge in computer usage. The goal of this program is to familiarize each student with computer technology and its capabilities. The focus is on developing skills needed to function effectively in an office environment. Students are provided with hands-on experience in the areas of basic literacy, keyboarding, word processing, data base use, spreadsheet use and simple programming. Results Are Positive A recent analysis by the State of Florida of the impact of inmate programs upon recidivism examined the effectiveness of the Department's academic, vocational, and substance abuse programs in reducing inmate recidivism after release (Florida Dept. of Corrections, 2001). Inmates who receive a GED and participate in work release for 60 days or more are 10.1% less likely to recidivate than those who receive a GED and have no work experience. Inmates who earn a vocational certificate are 14.6% less likely to recidivate than those who do not complete a program. Nearly three-quarters of vocational program completers are successful after release. The recidivism rate for the 1,793 inmates who earned a vocational certificate was 26.0% compared to 35.4% for those who did not complete a program. This reduction in recidivism (9.4%) translates into approximately 169 inmates not returning to prison. Avoiding the cost of their re-incarceration for one year would amount to cost savings of approximately $3.2 million. Even though the trend(s) of vocational training in reducing recidivism is apparent in the three state programs reviewed, these findings do not represent a true picture of today's technology-based vocational opportunities. State programs tend to 'lag-behind' when compared to private/commercial industry's use of technology due to limited state budgets and lack of state-of-the-art technical expertise. State programs are usually isolated for 'in-state' use only and vocational benefits seem to stop at the state's border. Federal programs seem to represent a better avenue for inmates to gain success after release, but they are not generally transferable to other jurisdictions. Each state program identified above has focused on vocational training to build inmate skills to meet the demands of the modern workplace. Technology programs are limited, but making their way to the forefront by a slow process of program creation and limited budget dollars. Legislation at the federal and state levels attempt to support vocational training, but these efforts are also slow to provide timely results. Which programs will benefit the entire nation? Can programs be developed to help more than the isolated agencies that have budgeted dollars for inmate training? There has to be a way to deliver quality vocational training, without each state duplicating efforts that have already been successfully developed by other agencies. One answer may come from looking at the specific high-tech examples for inmate vocational training. Considering Technology A possible solution to 'reinventing-the-wheel' in every state for inmate vocational programs would be to implement a federal initiative that could support all 50 states. Inmate training programs could be delivered via virtual private networks from a central host facility that would be supported by all participating state agencies. The Internet can be harnessed to offer a secure medium for course content delivery, thus reducing the cost for private networks or expensive satellite training networks that are currently in-use today at many correctional agencies throughout the United States. Corrections officials will have to assure network security and monitor inmate activity, much like they would for family visits or telephone usage. The technology is ready for the correctional setting. Are corrections officials ready to take the challenge for successful implementation? Bringing the Internet to correctional training will take some time, but some avenues already exist in the correctional setting to offer productive training alternatives. By no means are we fully secure in present-day network utilization for inmate training, but some agencies are building trust in the Internet and the corresponding technologies associated in delivering course content to remote environments. Before we 'dive-into' creating a high-technology network to deliver inmate training, we should consider the most important aspect of our vocational efforts, i.e., the inmates. What impressions are prevalent with the prisoners? A Virginia Department of Corrections report (Spradling, 2000) offers inmates' perspectives to technology. Based on a nine-question survey, the majority of students felt that the computer is a great tool for learning. Most frequently, ease of learning and instant feedback are the benefits suggested by the sample. Many students like the combination of computer time and book time. The students have shown a great interest in using the computers as an additional tool for learning. The overall perspective for technology in our prisons is to create new challenges for the inmates to learn from. Maybe our corrections officials should also recognize the challenge to implement technology over the Internet to provide new success stories for our vocational efforts. Some private, for-profit companies have offered their educational services to some state correctional agencies. Prisons in Maine and Ohio are setting up closed-loop systems. Some Texas prisons housing juveniles have employed a company to build a wide-area educational network of its own, using principles like the save-and-forward system and proprietary E-Mail protocols (Pearson Learning Company, 2001). These technologies allow no direct Internet access and print out all E-mail so it can be sent to inmates like regular mail, which is screened by corrections officers. Some distance learning programs are self-paced, interactive, easy to use and can be adapted for use by inmates over the Internet. Once logged into these systems, only course content is presented to students based on their individual needs. Network security is a component of the routine log-in procedure. The Montgomery County Youth Center (MCYC) in Norristown, Pennsylvania offers an Email mentoring program for troubled youth following the Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) model as a 'coherent philosophical framework' for alternative schools to follow (DeVore & Gentilcore, 1999). BARJ, is based on three objectives, each of which receives equal (balanced) attention: community safety, accountability, and competency development. MCYC serves delinquent and dependent youth aged 12 to 17. MCYC's educational program includes: altruistic education, Internet mentoring, experiential education, ethics, law-related education, art instruction, competency-based skill development, technology skills, life skills and career education. This juvenile correctional program endorses the approved use of the Internet on a limited basis to assist in the rehabilitation of youthful offenders. Security Concerns and Solutions The World Wide Web is a powerful resource but sometimes it's considered a dangerous playground. For agencies that are outright against all on-line Internet access, there is a utility that offers Internet-like activity via CD-ROM or personal computer hard drive storage. With some course programs, instructors can decide what Internet information is available for access to inmates. They can download web pages or whole web sites directly to a laptop, hard drive, desktop, zip disk, CD, or storage device for distribution. Sites can be browsed as if they were online, and at highly accelerated speeds. Course content could be developed by inmate training instructors to simulate Internet use for a variety of subjects and course content. Even though the freedom of the Internet is censored from the inmate, this utility can provide some entry-level training for Internet use and protect the agency from unauthorized network activities. Corrections officials have gone to great lengths to control inmate activities on the Internet. Technology is just a portion of the overall environment that officials must monitor. IT security is not just about technology. It is mostly about training people and keeping their sense of security heightened (Hall, 2001). Some institutions are starting to implement biometric palm readers, smart cards and other security apparatus. At a cost less than $70 per biometric device, it is foolish not to use them everywhere possible. No matter how much IT security a prison installs, inmates will explore it and manipulate what they can. The inmates constantly probe and the institution should always defend. This activity is no different than other security issues presented to a correctional facility. The agency should always be a few steps ahead of the inmates, no matter if it's computer usage or recreation yard access. One final perspective on high-tech vocational training is Information Technology careers. Ex-cons see IT skills as a way of making it in the outside (Hoffman, 1999). Training programs such as those offered by the non-profit Pride Enterprises in Florida have been able to identify people with the logical skills and aptitude required to become a programmer or technician, even if they have limited language or math skills. Pride Enterprises is a St. Petersburg, Florida not-for-profit company that trains 5,000 inmates a year in IT skills and uses those trained individuals as employees to support service contracts with private companies. With the U.S. IT skills shortage showing no signs of abating, companies are searching all over to find technologists with proper training. Prisons can offer training from CAD programming to PC help desk skills in an effort to reverse a 62% national recidivism rate of ex- cons who wind up back behind bars. Many correctional agencies are touched by the concept of providing modern vocational training. Some institutions have 'ventured-off' to offer modern technology training via private computer networks offered by commercial service providers. Other agencies have implemented closed-loop programs behind their walls to help inmates gain the knowledge to obtain reasonable employment upon release. It appears that programs are slowly moving in the direction to support vocational training to meet the needs of today's society. Institutions should consider joining forces to build a centralized, virtual private network to implement effective vocational training programs for prison inmates. Low cost thin-client network appliances can access hundreds of proven course materials that have been developed to provide inmates the training needed to live productive lives. All in all, the vocational efforts of our correctional institutions are slowly turning inmates into productive citizens after their release. Agencies must embrace available technologies to enhance vocational training programs to give inmates a fair chance in gaining employment when competing in today's job market. Opening the controlled access to the Internet for inmates to gain improved professional skills will prove beneficial for both the institutions and the rehabilitated offender(s). The door is slowly opening to allow inmates the necessary use of the World-Wide-Web and they finally will have the opportunity to benefit from its vast resources, just as the rest of the world does. Future Considerations As technology becomes a more integral part of everyone's life for work, recreation and education, there is legitimate concern that computer-deprived prisoners returning to the world outside will find themselves hopelessly behind the curve. It's obviously a challenge to offer access to technology that doesn't provide inmates with too much freedom of communication. But some prison officials are hip to the notion that technology can bring otherwise unaffordable educational opportunities to prisoners and are cautiously experimenting with ways to remove the barriers to computers and online classes. The closed-loop, virtual private network only represents the first phase of control for our correctional institutions. Once the security is proven, some prisons plan to open the access flow from a trickle to a steady stream that more closely resembles the outside world's experience with the Internet. Some state institutions will eventually let prisoners look on-line for jobs, while other states will keep the Internet harnessed for some time to come. Perhaps the more stricter agencies will allow some inmates to share classes with students outside the prison walls, posting to class discussion bulletin boards and E-Mailing fellow students and teachers. E-Mail filters would make sure that outside mail doesn't get in and that prisoners are not capable to E-Mail out or surf the Web. Further security will be invoked by using proprietary protocols and encryption technologies. If a prisoner tries to send mail to anyone not associated with the class list, the message will bounce back, undelivered. Some private-companies plan to make these proprietary technologies available at no-cost to prisons in hopes of spurring a national trend. Some states are likely to embrace these free services from private enterprises, thus opening controlled access to the Internet. Hopefully, the politicians and the law-abiding public will not view modern vocational training procedures on the Internet as 'coddling' criminals. Based on the evidence, one can conclude that lack of education is a mitigating factor in determining who goes to jail. However, what about the men and women who are currently incarcerated? Is enough being done to ensure that prisoners have the life skills to be productive outside prison walls? Vocational training in prisons will evolve as it always has, utilizing technology and methods that are widely accepted for education with the law-abiding public. Soon the Internet and high-technology will be secondary to the real need to provide training methods that prepare not only prisoners, but all American citizens to be productive individuals. Maybe some of the modern vocational programs and education efforts based on technology and the Internet should be more effective for our youth during their formative years. Public education offered by our American communities needs to keep our youngsters challenged so they won't turn to a life of crime. Many of our prisons are forced to repeat the task(s) of educating our youth, due to the fact that public education doesn't always meet the needs of our multi-cultured youths and young adults. If public education and correctional agencies get together to blend their efforts to promote better education, maybe our prisons will be less crowded. But then . . doesn't all the work in building our youth to be productive citizens begin at home, with the responsible families? Summary & Conclusions This review has identified contemporary programs offered by correctional institutions to help inmates live productive lifestyles upon release from prison. Recidivism studies continue to highlight vocational work programs as a leading factor for producing law-abiding citizens. Other factors should include professional counseling, family, clergy and community participation. Most importantly, today's rehabilitated offenders must embrace the willingness to live productive lifestyles before they are released from our correctional facilities. Although vocational training is only one component to the equation for success, prison officials often struggle with incorporating modern technologies to help deliver meaningful and challenging training programs. Delivery methods should be reconsidered to utilize the power of the Internet for a secured central clearing-house of educational/vocational materials. Isolated pockets of successful training techniques using not just technology, but with programs combining comprehensive instructor-led teaching, self-esteem building exercises and professional therapy are beginning to shed some light on producing solid citizens from our corrections communities. It's time to plan for the future and legislators need to allocate national resources to support the new vocational techniques of the 21st century. Those new techniques include full-use of the Internet with proven technology to deliver successful courseware behind our prison walls. Rarely does the American public look at increased educational opportunities as a solution. In an era of quick fixes and sound bites, we may be looking past the ultimate weapon in the war on crime...education. This is an excerpt from Moving Vocational Education For Corrections To The Internet, by Donald P. Dougherty. Dougherty received his Master's degree (MS) at Michigan State University and continues to consult in the technology arena for the Public Sector. He held an Internship at the Michigan Department of Corrections during his Master's work and today provides Secured Enterprise Server solutions for Distance Learning and ERP applications at Michigan Colleges and Universities. Feel free to contact Dougherty for complete copies of his work or to provide him feedback via E-mail: dorty@aol.com or at (248) 528-0150. References DeVore, Donald & Gentilcore, Kevin (November/December 1999). Balanced and Restorative Justice and Educational Programming for Youth At-Risk. Clearinghouse Articles 73, (2), 96-100. Florida Department of Corrections. (January 2001). Analysis Of The Impact of Inmate Programs Upon Recidivism [On-Line]. Available: www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/recidivismprog/index.html. Hall, Mark (April 2001). Tech Training For Inmates A Risky Undertaking. Computerworld, 35, (15), 15-18. Hoffman, Thomas (August 1999). From The Big House To The Glass House. Computerworld, 33, (31), 42-43. Massachusetts Department of Corrections. (August 2001). Inmate Program Descriptions [On-Line]. Available: www.state.ma.us/doc/programs/eductrng.htm. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. (August 2001). Vocational Programs [On-Line]. Available: www.drc.state.oh.us/web/vocational.html. Spradling, Tina (August 2000). Inmate Perspectives on Classroom Technology. Virginia Adult Education Research Network [On-Line]. Available: www.vcu.edu/aelweb/Tina_Spradling.pdf. |
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