Poster #43 - Evaluating Prison Education Programs Using Linked Administrative Data

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

The U.S. spends tens to hundreds of billions of dollars a year on its prison and jail systems—yet the overall economic impact of incarceration extends far beyond correctional expenditures. Incarceration excludes workforce-eligible individuals from the labor market, diminishes future human capital, and poses long-term barriers to re-employment after release, impacting both individuals and society. 

In response to these challenges, state and federal policymakers have advocated for initiatives like the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act and “ban the box” legislation to help level the playing field for former inmates seeking employment. Prison education programs (PEPs) within correctional facilities are an important avenue to enhancing post-release economic mobility. These programs exist across the nation and may demonstrate some effectiveness; however, disparate, sensitive, and siloed data sources have hindered the systematic evaluation of these programs' performance.

This study fills a gap in the existing data sources by collaborating with a single southern state to achieve three proposed goals: 1) Develop and institutionalize integrated data systems including corrections, education, and workforce data for tracking formerly incarcerated individuals; 2) Leverage the partner state’s established data and governance to examine education-to-employment pathways; and 3) Employ a quasi-experimental design to assess whether PEP programs elevate short-term and long-term employment outcomes among cohorts of formerly incarcerated individuals compared to their non-participant counterparts. 

Preliminary results suggest that access to educational training and opportunities varies across facilities and by demographic subgroups, particularly for women and U.S. minority groups. When comparing programs, there is significant variability in their ability to influence short- and long-term workforce outcomes, with programs that provide specific job skills and certificates resulting in higher rates of employment four quarters after release. Finally, social support services after release appear to play a moderating role in the long-term reemployment rate, though this varies by subgroup. 

This study highlights the benefits of using administrative data over traditional qualitative or survey methods, which provide more reliable and scalable insights. Furthermore, it advances our understanding of the effects of PEPs on employment outcomes and other avenues of economic mobility, necessitating access to essential corrections data and its integration with additional workforce data. It showcases how one state’s approach offers a model for integrating corrections and workforce data to evaluate and explain the impact of PEPs nationwide. Most importantly, this work emphasizes the importance of forging cross-sector data collaborations—between research institutions, state workforce agencies, and corrections agencies—when making data-driven policies and resilient reforms for prison education.

Author

• Allison Nunez, The Coleridge Initiative
  Presenting Author