Reversing the Poverty-to-Prison Pipeline: Correctional Education as a Means of Rehabilitative Justice

Abstract

For centuries now, the American prison system has been a contentious topic, with the emphasis and purpose of it shifting constantly between punitive measures and rehabilitative justice. This study briefly explores this shift through the historical context of reform efforts during the Antebellum Era and, more recently, the Law and Order Era in order to make sense of the current state of prisoner rehabilitation efforts in the United States. The purpose of this study is to highlight the inadequacy of the "tough-on-crime" philosophy that dominated the Law and Order era by discussing the benefits of correctional education that it initially hindered, including social mobility, personal development, and self-efficacy for formerly incarcerated individuals, which have recently been contributing to reduced recidivism rates and positive societal outcomes since the resurgence of correctional education programs in the twenty-first century. Despite the challenges and potential drawbacks discussed, the paper argues for democratizing correctional education to ensure its widespread accessibility, suggesting various funding options and technological resources as potential methods to achieve this goal. The paper ultimately emphasizes the necessity of expanding correctional education to break the cycle of mass incarceration and create a more just and prosperous country, highlighting the transformational impact it can have on incarcerated individuals and society as a whole.