Department of Corrections

GEORGIA

GEORGIA

GEORGIA

GEORGIA

GEORGIA Education & Programs

Correctional Education & Programs –

“Leading the Nation

in Correctional Education”

L. C. (Buster) Evans, Ed.D. – Asst. Commissioner

Inmate Services

2016

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Life Before

Life After

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Illiteracy & Crime

• Adult low literacy can be connected to almost every socio-economic issue in the United States: More than 60 percent of all state and federal corrections inmates can barely read and write.

• Low health literacy costs between $106 billion and $238 billion each year in the U.S. — 7 to 17 percent of all annual personal health care spending.

• Low literacy’s effects cost the U.S. $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment (ProLiteracy).

• 85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2003).

• Correctional populations report lower educational attainment than do those in the general population. An estimated 40% of State prison inmates, 27% of Federal inmates, 47% of inmates in local jails and 31% of those serving probation sentences had not completed high school or its equivalent while about 18% of the general population failed to attain high school graduation (Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report 4/15/03 - Education and Corrections Populations - full report attached).

• Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure.” Over 70% of inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level (www.begintoread.com).

• More than 60% of all state and federal corrections inmates are considered "functionally illiterate" (ProLiteracy).

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Illiteracy & Crime • 85 percent of all juveniles who come into contact

with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. So are 60 percent of all prison inmates. Inmates have a 16 percent chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70 percent for those who receive no help. This equates, according to the study, to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders.

(California & New York spend over $200,000 per year on juveniles in their juvenile justice systems).

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"if we raise the number of third-graders who read at a third-grade level, we affect everything, from graduation rates to incarceration rates."

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Dr. Sarah Higinbotham – Georgia Tech

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Here’s one of my former students from Phillips State Prison, living in Decatur these past five years, who has now successfully finished parole. “I beat the odds,” he told me — then said, “please don’t ever stop teaching on the inside." He still has his copy of Paradise Lost that we studied in a world literature class at Phillips State in 2009. Very gratifying to do this work! Sarah Sarah Higinbotham, PhD School of Literature, Media, and Communication Georgia Institute of Technology

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Criminal Justice Reform in Georgia

3 “Legs” of Georgia’s Criminal Justice Reform

Adult Courts – creating a variety of accountability courts helping keep

non-violent offenders out of prison.

Juvenile Courts – similar to adult accountabilities.

Re-entry – Prisoner Re-entry and educational programs.

Early Results

Reduction of non-violent offenders in prison/under sentence in

Georgia by approximately 10,000 inmates.

Reduction of African American Males in prison by 19.1%.

Reduction of African American Females in prison by 34%.

CJ Reform efforts gaining national attention.

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Why Correctional Education?

Cause

Decreased recidivism rates for individuals who have received an education while incarcerated. Approximately 60% do not have a HS diploma or GED.

Decreased levels of violence while incarcerated and after release.

Positive effect on children with incarcerated parents in pursuing their own educational endeavors.

Most inmates will be released. Educational programs allow them to have something to fall back on in the real world. Approximately 17,000 inmates return home in Georgia each year.

Return on Investment

For every $1 invested in correctional education, there is $5 saved in future incarceration costs.

“Overall, this study shows that the debate should no longer be about whether correctional education is effective or cost-effective but rather where the gaps in our

knowledge are and opportunities to move the field forward.” -The Rand Corporation, 2014

For every $1 invested in vocational/technical programs in corrections, there is $12 saved in future incarceration costs

(Source: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2012)

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Why Correctional Education Can Be

The Most Rewarding Job in American

Education?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAQihRikgZM

• Students come to class

• Don’t bring cell phones

• Don’t bring weapons

• Are not high or on illicit drugs

• Many inmate students are actually very appreciative and engaged

• You have on site school resource officers

• You have several “parapros” per class

• No CRCT’s, EOCT’s, SAT’s, etc.

• No extra duties

• No parent conferences

• No TKES & LKES

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Charter High Schools

Welding Certificate Programs

Diesel Mechanic Programs

ASE Mechanic Certificate Program

Computer based GED, Partnership with TCSG

Deployment of G.O.A.L. Tablet Devices for Learning

Fast Track GED

Tier Segregation GED

Established Veteran Reentry Program Dorms

Veteran On-line College

Bee Keeping Program, UGA College of Agriculture

CDL Programs

GDC Pioneer Initiatives

Some Program Highlights

• Charter Schools at LASP & BCTC

• Welding Programs at Walker, Ware, and adding Lee & Arrendale

• Diesel Mechanic Technician Programs at Telfair, Rogers, & Ware

• Online College for Veterans at Emmanuel with Johnson & Rutledge to follow

• 20 FT Teachers hired for “big mediums” expanding the instructional hours per week

• Over 100,000 books collected in reading initiative

• GED Numbers impressively on the rise

• GOAL tablet devices – over 5,400 deployed as of March 2016

• Chaplains in ALL facilities with upgrades to Full-time status for Max and Large Medium facilities

• Tier programming to include GED instruction and testing

GDC Monthly Roll-Up Education and Programs

4935

1263 1794

5561

1317

2138

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Education Vocational OJT

Program Average Monthly Enrollments by Category FY 15 and FY 16

FY 15 FY 16

132 162

223

357 387

546

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

December January February

GED Completions Monthly YTD Comparison

between FY 15 and FY 16

FY 15 FY 16

518

973 858

970

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Vocational OJT

Program Completions by Category YTD

Comparison FY 15 and FY 16

FY 15 FY 16

Johnson & Arrendale have Computer Technology & Customer Service in

RSAT

Top 5 Facilities with GED Completions FY 16

YTD

Total number of GED completion to date: 127.

Total Number of

Chaplains

55 Total

29 full-time

10 part-time

16 Volunteer

Worship Services Monthly Participation Reported

Protestant (579) +13 (36,807) -2.251

Catholic (77) -18 (889) -456

Jewish (55) +39 (55) +39

Islamic (150) +4 (7,170) +382

Other (162) +52 (1,911) +828

Volunteer Activity 3,020

Chaplaincy Program Information - September 2015

139

82 75 69

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

JOHNSON

STATE

PRISON

RIVERBEND

CORR

FACILITY

WHEELER

CORR

FACILITY

COFFEE

CORR

FACILITY

PULASKI

STATE

PRISON

Vocational Program Completions FY 16

YTD

Top 5 Facilities

Burruss

CTCCoastal SP

Bainbridge

PSATCCoffee ASMP

Series1 12 12 12 8 7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

9

24

55

5

93

127

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

July August September

GED Completions Monthly YTD

Comparison between FY 15 and FY 16

FY 15 Fy 16

GDC Monthly Roll-Up Education and Programs

A GDC/GED First Tier Segregation GED’s. 100% passing rate at Smith State Prison.

• Thomas Spencer -First and foremost I would like to thank the staff and teachers for allowing me to take the opportunity to

take the GED classes and test. Receiving my GED was very important to me because you cannot get far without any

education. This is only the beginning for my quest for knowledge. I foresee college or some sort of trade school in my future.

The graduation really meant a lot to my mother because she has not seen any of her children graduate. I felt elated to be

able to give her that experience. Thank you again staff and teachers at Smith SP.

• Carter Chernard -The GED program was enlightening and a confidence builder. The staff tried their hardest to assist us on

our pursuit to discover ourselves and I’m ecstatic. I did not let them or me down. What has been done for me is priceless.

Even the ceremony was well put together. I’m thankful and grateful and looking forward course from Adams College.

• Potts Arieus - I am honored to finally accomplish something that I have been working toward for a vast portion my young

life. Getting my GED was a small step towards a greater endeavor. I give myself accolades because I persevered at this

endeavor. I would like to thank everyone who helped in making this a success. It’s a rare occasion where we can

accumulate a positive vibe on behalf of a cause that will benefit our lives. It takes an amazing soul to move on one accord to

acculturate a forgotten population of society.

Unit Manager Eric Smokes

It was an honor to see these guys be

able to accomplish a step towards a

brighter future. The offenders are

starting to make better decisions and

focus more on what’s important in life. It

was moving to witness the unification of

family and to allow their parents the

opportunity to witness one of their

accomplishments.

Treatment Effect

from Programs

26.70

20.83 22.41

25.58

18.77

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

GP COG GED RSAT VOC

3 Year Felony Reconviction Rates or Program Completers vs. General Population

Based on FY12 Releases

5.8

7%

4.2

9%

1.1

2%

7.9

3%

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Variables Impacting Recidivism Rates

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

0 6 12 18 24 36 48 60 72

Months Since Release

RECIDIVISM RATES BY LAST TESTED EDUCATION GRADE

1 - 3.9 4 - 8.9 9 - 11.9 12+

Florida Department of Corrections Recidivism Rates - May 2011

27.07 26.71

26.56 26.26

26.70

22.28 22.31

22.26 21.79 20.83 21.58 21.12

22.63 22.03

22.41

16.56

18.99

16.84

17.60 18.77

13.75

9.35

7.57

8.50 8.50

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

FY 08 FY 09 FY 10 FY 11 FY 12

Rat

e o

f R

ecid

ivis

m

3 Year Recidivism by Category FY 08-FY12

GP COG GED RSAT VOC FAITH BASED

Releases

Educational Program Participation (February 2015)

21

Academic Programs Participants

Literacy (LRR) 705

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

2578

GED Prep 2223

GED Fast Track 122

Total 5,628

Career & Workbase Programs Participation

Vocational 1304

OJT 1743

Total 3047

Politifact Georgia “Truth-O-Meter”

Charter High School Completions

Charter High Schools

Charter School initiative for two new charter high school programs at Lee

Arrendale State Prison (LASP) in Alto, Ga. and Burruss Correctional Center (TC)

in Forsyth, Ga.

• January 2015—Mountain Education Charter (MEC) High School partnership

ribbon cutting ceremony held

• July 23, 2015—first graduating class of MEC at LASP, 19 graduates earn

High School diplomas—First time in GDC history

• August 26, 2015—Foothills Charter High School classes begin at Burruss CTC

• 54 students enrolled

• September 17, 2015—Foothills ribbon cutting ceremony Burruss CTCf

Diesel Mechanic and Welding

Completions

1 0 5

82

CY 2014 CY 2015 (to date)

Diesel Mechanic Welding

Welding programs now at Walker, Ware, and Lee State Prisons…women welders coming soon!!!

First CDL Candidate Smith Transition Center

• Technical college presidents with CDL training programs state that there is a near 100% placement rating for program completers.

• GDC has partnered with Ogeechee Technical College and Wiregrass Technical College to provide training for Georgia inmates. More programs are anticipated in the future!

Diesel Truck

Technicians & CDL

http://www.walb.com/story/31169575/new-program-trains-inmates-to-keep-them-from-coming-back

• Reading influences

• Who we become

• Literacy abilities

• Knowledge levels

• 35 Georgia facilities receive 3,000 books

• Partner with religious groups, schools, and corporations

to provide inspirational, motivational, and educational

materials suitable for inmate populations

• Major partners to date (100,000 + books)

• Current spokespersons & partners

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100,000 Book Initiative

Know Where You Are Going…and Communicate It!

• Why are we doing

this?

• What problem does

this address?

• How is this new

initiative a solution to a

problem?

Human Impact of Correctional Education

• Education in the prison setting provides far more than a degree and lower recidivism rates...Through its transformational powers, it provides for a socialization and self-actualization process that no other treatment program can offer. It allows offenders to better understand their self-worth and potential, and most often has offenders reaching out to their own children to encourage them to continue their education. Brian Fischer, Former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections

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Ongoing Challenges

• New GED Exam – Revised cut scores!!! !

– Significantly reduced passing rates

– Computer administered exam

• CTAE teachers for specialized programs

• Adding technology to facilities not designed for its use

• Void of effective instructional technology

• Classroom space is an issue in some locations and continues to be

addressed

• Insuring teacher effectiveness

• Expanding educational time by scheduling and other innovations

• Need to expand partnerships with TCSG and local technical colleges

• Pathways are limited to career programs

• Resistant “cultures” that exist among some inmates and some personnel

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The Way Ahead

• GED Fast Track & Overall Emphasis on LRR, ABE, & GED

• Charter Schools Fully Operational

• Expansion of Vocation Educational Programs (Welding, Film Industry Technician, Horticulture, & Others)

• Expansion of College Programs (Emanuel, Johnson, & Rutledge)

• Evidence Based Facilities (Lee)

• Expansion of RSAT (Bleckley & Paulding)

• Juvenile Assessment and Programming

• GOAL (Jpay) Tablet Deployment - >5,000 Deployed

• Increased Leverage of Instructional Technology

• Lifers / Mentoring Programming

What Can We Do?

• Promote Literacy in Your Communities

• Volunteer (or Work) in the Correctional

Education Setting

• Partner With a TC, DRC, or Other

Correctional Organization