The Answer to Incarceration Is Education
The problem
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*per 100,000 of national population
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The United States holds 4.4% of the world’s population, yet houses 22% of the world’s prisoners. It incarcerates approximately 2.3 million people, or one in every one hundred adults.
Consider how we compare to other nations in incarceration rates.
Also, consider recidivism—the number of released inmates who return to prison. About 83% of released prisoners are rearrested within nine years of being released. The cost of prison upkeep and the societal loss of productivity and contribution from those who must return to prison proves that recidivism comes at a major expense to society.
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Our solution
We do not believe recidivism occurs because of the intrinsic depravity of inmates, but rather because they do not have the tools to help them stay out of prison. We do not believe people are disposable, but rather they are redeemable.
95% of prison inmates will someday return to society. Rather than warehousing them while in prison, we believe the objective of prison needs to be rehabilitation, which includes educational classes and opportunities for growth and change. That way, when they are released, they will be successful citizens and good neighbors. We think societal needs and our responsibility to humanity prompt us to assist in the efforts of prison rehabilitation to prevent further recidivism.
And we believe prison education is the answer to incarceration and recidivism. PrisonEd's mission is to provide education opportunities to the 6,700+ inmates housed in Utah prisons and jails. This education gives new hope to prisoners, in addition to tools to help them break old patterns and end the cycle of recidivism. We hope you’ll take part in our vision.
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Contact PrisonEd Foundation
Receive more information about volunteering with the PrisonEd Foundation
Endnotes:
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International Centre for Prison Studies, “World Prison Population List”
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Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Correctional Populations in the United States, 2016”
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Institute for Criminal Policy Research, World Prison Brief
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Bureau of Justice Statistics, “2018 Update On Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-Up Period (2005-2014)”
Nate Carlisle, “Utah’s Prison Population is Rising Faster Than Any State But One, Despite Many Reforms”