Social Correctional Programs and Preventing Recidivism

Prevention of criminal recidivism is essential through enacting different educational programs within correctional facilities. The United States has the highest number of incarcerated individuals in the globe. This implies that the government incurs much financial effort towards maintaining correctional facilities annually. It is essential that educational programs are introduced in the correctional programs because they ensure that inmates gain considerable skills that allows them begin a new life once they leave the facility. In many instances, criminal recidivism emerges because majority of the individuals released from the correctional facilities feel that they have no purpose to live for in the society. There are different educational programs that play a critical role towards fostering valuable skills to inmates. These include Prison Entrepreneurship Program, Community Bridges Fact Team, Delancey Street Program, and the Last Mile Program. Therefore, correctional programs are a great way to prevent recidivism because they help inmates learn a skill while incarcerated, allows them to continue a path of education, gives them a purpose while serving the sentence, and releases better citizens back to society.

Prison Entrepreneurship Program is essential to inmates because it introduces them to different approaches that can ensure they are successful in business matters. According to Lamberti (2016), preventing criminal recidivism goes beyond the common counselling programs that are vastly evident across the correctional facilities. Inmates are likely to foster behavior change once they have a reason for it. For instance. The entrepreneurship programs that are offered in correctional facilities can equip the inmates with skills such as creating business that offers the potential to build wealth and create greater economic mobility.

The prison entrepreneurship programs provide entrepreneurship training to inmates on aspects of businesses such as business plan competition (BPC). Development of the BPC curriculum has played a critical role in the identification of various sectors within the business market that are viable. This is an advantage for the inmates because they have the business industry analyzed and opportunities identified. With trained Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) staff, the participants gain considerable knowledge and skills that foster their personal development after completing their sentence. However, the significance of this program is evident since the program takes a critical survey of the inmate`s family or background to establish his financial requirements. Therefore, supporting the process takes into account the role played by the family towards achieving its desired goals.

In addition, PEP provides weekly workshops to registered inmates on business and life skills. The significance of the workshops is that they provide practical and real life experiences on business. Inmates are able to learn and share their perceptions on entrepreneurship in addition to the experiences the gain from other individuals. Workshops provide adequate resources such as reading materials that facilitate learning among inmates. Inmates who complete 16-20 workshops and assignments successfully earn a PEP diploma. Earning this award implies that the inmate is eligible for financing in any given business that he or she desires upon release. PEP has played a critical role towards fostering positive correctional behavior among inmates because these individuals realize that they have a purpose in their lives (Koo, 2015). In addition, the program has highly led to the decline of recidivism across many correctional facilities in countries such as the United States.

The Delancey Street educational program focuses on establishing educational prospects among inmates through various prospects. The significance of this educational program to inmates is that it incorporates both technical skills and substance abuse among inmates. For a considerable period, correctional programs have failed to address issues among inmates and prevent recidivism because of limited intervention. For instance, this program has a considerable objective of ensuring that inmates complete serving their sentences while they are off drugs and have achieved technical knowledge and skills that will ensure they secure employment. Once the inmates leave the correctional facilities they are able to dedicate their time and help addicts within the society. Through this, these individuals gain value of their lives and are always committed towards making the society a better place.

Delancey Street Program takes into account fostering therapy and other mental related skills to inmates such as counselling. Inmates are exposed to counselling skills that help them become useful members of the society. The significance of educational programs in the correctional facilities is that they give offenders the purpose of serving their sentence. In addition, the feeling of having wasted time while in the correctional facility is vastly undermined. Education is powerful tool and can radically change behavior, a prospect that is expected at the end of the period one serves in prison. With education, the inmates are able to realize the different economic avenues that they could utilize to make ends meet once they are back into the society. Equally, education allows these individuals to socially relate with other members of the society with ease.

Community Bridges Fact Team is another educational program that is essential in reducing and preventing recidivism among offenders. This educational program entails having inmates endure various skills-oriented training while serving their sentence. For instance, the program focuses on addressing the immediate societal needs that majority of the people are facing. Therefore, the program ensures that the inmates are given hands-on training that will ensure they are valuable once they leave the correctional facilities. Community Bridges Fact Team is steered by various entities that have the interest of facilitating the well-being of the society through educating the inmates. These educational skills are essential because the inmates are able to secure employment and making a living out of it. Therefore, there are campaigns in the correctional facilities advocating for inmates to venture into pursuing these courses.

In addition, Community Bridges Fact Team educational program offers a solid foundation for the employees once they complete their sentence. It is essential to note that majority of the inmates find it hard to live within the immediate society following the stereotyping that enacted on them. Therefore, Community Bridges Fact Team finds it essential that the inmates are given a second chance in life through finding them homes elsewhere before they assimilate into their communities. Besides finding these individuals’ homes, this program goes ahead to find them employment and ensure they are able to kick start their lives again. Given the efforts of this program, preventing recidivism is achievable since the offenders have a reason to go back to the society. Equally, they are likely to face lesser challenges because this program has established a strategy that is meant to address majority of their problems after leaving the correctional facilities.

Music Rehabilitation Programs is another critical approach that will ensure decline and prevention of recidivism. There are different music programs that have been fostered from way back 1980s. The significance of this program is to grow the talents on music that many inmates have. There has been major concerns over the years regarding the talent depicted among inmates in various correctional facilities across the globe. For instance, many inmates have shown interest in music related programs. Equally, others have developed their careers in music while serving their terms in the correctional facilities. Correctional facilities should equip themselves with necessary equipment that are required in training and facilitating music programs to ensure that the needs of this program are met.

Hanson (2018) provides that music educational programs within the correctional facilities provides a platform for the inmates to venture as an entrepreneurial sphere. Music has become an entrepreneurial venture in the contemporary society. Inmates can considerably earn from this venture because it provides opportunities that can offer employment. In addition, majority of the inmates feel outcasts within the society after completing their sentences (Hyatt & Han, 2018). Through music education, knowledge, and skills it would be possible for this individuals to access employment and reason for living. Prevention of recidivism is adequately met through music education programs because the inmates have hope and reason to serve their sentences. Music programs have fostered unity and coherence among inmates through improved relationships and information on how to live life well after serving their term. Engaging in music education facilitates change of behavior among inmates and promotes self-confidence. Therefore, preventing recidivism is highly achieved among these individuals because it gives them a purpose while serving the sentence, and releases better citizens back to society.

Vocational education programs are also significant in correctional facilities because they prevent offenders from recidivism. Vocational education programs are basically programs that prepares individuals to work as technicians or other sectors of the economy as trade or a craft (Bouchard & Wong, 2018). In other instances, vocational education is referred to as technical education or career. The significance of this educational program is that it provides the inmates with hands-on skills that are crucial within the society. Some of the major courses that are evident in this program include mechanics and veterinary training. Once an individual has served his or her sentence, he has the advantage of having qualified with the skills. This implies that the individuals will be committed towards improving their lives through fostering the achieved skills and improving their lives.

The significance of vocational education in correctional facilities is that it takes place at the post-secondary or further educational levels. This implies that inmates are not excluded from the program regardless of their education levels. Correction facilities have to invest a lot in the vocational program courses because it entails practical approaches that require aspects such as equipment and machinery. However, donors and funding has been achieved by the World Bank and other institutions with the aim of ensuring these programs are implemented across correctional facilities in the world. Vocational training allows inmates to engage in life development courses such as mechanics that address current market demands. The inmates are able to secure jobs and even start their businesses once they leave the correctional facilities. Therefore, this program greatly influences the objective of preventing recidivism among inmates released from correctional facilities.

The Harvard Organization for Prison Education and Reform has had remarkable educational skills and knowledge facilitation among inmates. This educational program began in early 2004 with the Harvard Organization collaborating with specific correctional facilities and training inmates on different courses. For instance, this program has fostered business oriented courses at Pennsylvania Department of Corrections with the objective of ensuring these individuals gain knowledge and skills that will enable the become productive people once they complete serving their sentences. In many ways, this program is crucial because it has facilitated the inmates to have skills that they can use to secure jobs. By doing so, offenders learn to appreciate life through avoiding recidivism. These courses that are offered by the Harvard Organization come along with diploma and certificate awards that ensure these individuals are recognized in the job market to have met the requirements.

In addition, the Harvard Organization sends tutors and student volunteers to the correctional facilities where they educate and equally learn from the experiences of the inmates. Such exposure creates a community with values integrated towards making it a better place. Therefore, the inmates are able to realize the significance of venturing into various courses and achieving a purpose in life rather than recommitting a crime. The volunteers and tutors have a dual goal of advocating for structural reforms to prison education because majority of their studies have revealed that the education fostered in the correctional facilities requires various reforms. However, the inmates have an advantage of sharing experiences from these individuals and even having a real connection to employment. In addition, the spirit of commitment and having a purpose in life is developed.

Adult Secondary Education (ASE) is another essential education program in correctional facilities that allows inmates to gain considerable educational skills and prevent recidivism. Through ASE inmate achieve literacy skills that are widely used in the contemporary society. It is imperative to note a good number of inmates across correctional skills lack skills such as writing and reading (Sowden & Olver, 2018. Therefore, they are threatened by the current society that requires an individual who can read, write and comprehend written materials. Correctional facilities through individual governments can steer transition among inmates from illiteracy to literate individuals once released through ensuring Adult Secondary Education program is implemented.

Competency-based and life skills education equally is essential to inmates with the purpose of preventing recidivism. This entails a wide variety of programs that are offered in the correctional facilities such as communication skills, job and financial skills development, and stress or anger management skills (Ashford & Gallagher, 2019). All these prospects are paramount to inmates because competency based skills allow them to return to the society as transformed individuals who can compete for jobs and opportunities. In addition, they come back as individuals equipped with life skills such as the impact of drug abuse and dangers of venturing into crime related activities.

The Second Chance Pell Pilot Program is another educational programs in correctional facilities that was introduced in 2014. This program allows 12,000 incarcerated students to pursue college level courses while serving their sentence. Receiving of higher education in prisons is of essence because the population of correctional facilities is growing rapidly over the years. This implies that issues such as education and knowledge are essential towards curbing the menace. Through higher education, inmates are able to secure employment after serving their terms. However, this programs has faced several challenges. For instance, unreliable funding has been an issue since the prison funds cannot be able to support its budget. Therefore, this has created future uncertainty and led to speculations that the program may decline.

It is essential to note that many of the educational programs across correctional facilities across the globe fail to yield the expected outcome because of insufficient funding. However, some organizations such as the Harvard Organization have steered through this drawbacks by working together with the correctional facilities to allow the inmates gain knowledge and skills. In addition, these organizations allow their students and tutors to conduct prospects such as internships in various correctional facilities. Through such approaches some correctional facilities have released offenders that are equipped with life skills as well as knowledge on various courses. This implies that these individuals will be productive in the economy while they reform and avoid recidivism. The governments on the other hand have a milestone of ensuring they set aside funds that can fuel the educational programs offered in various correctional facilities in order to prevent recidivism.

The Last Mile is an education program based at San Quentin State Prison in California. This education program focuses on teaching prisoners technology, digital communication, and business. The vastness of this program should be emulated in other correctional facilities across the globe because it equips the inmates with job skills. Prevention of recidivism can be effectively achieved if educational programs such as the Last Mile program that focuses on establishing knowledge and skills. Recidivism will greatly emerge in correctional facilities where educational programs have not been fostered. Inmates suffer from time loss and have the perception that they will no longer fit in their respective communities given that the correction facilities did not equip them with educational skills. Moreover, offenders will lack purpose while serving their sentence if education and other approaches of positively utilizing their time are not implemented.

Therefore, the Las Mile educational program has incorporated various courses to inmates across correctional facilities. For instance, technology is enduring considerable transformations and innovations in the contemporary society. Inmates can venture into such courses and become productive people within the society. The time spent by inmates in prisons could be wisely utilized through fostering educational programs that.