Skills of U.S. Incarcerated Adults

• In Event: Examining the Impact of Job Skills, Work, and Financial Independence on Offending Outcomes

Abstract

In 2013-14, the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department Education conducted a study of the cognitive skills of incarcerated adults in the U.S. federal, state, and private prisons. Approximately 1,300 inmates ages 16-74 participated in the assessment. The same assessment that is known as the Program of the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), was administered to household participants in 2012/2014. In addition to assessing key information-processing skills—literacy, numeracy, and digital problem solving, the inmates also responded to a background questionnaire (BQ)—similar to the household questionnaire but modified to more closely align with the experiences of the prison population. The modifications include the addition of questions on participation in academic programs (GED or higher education), certification programs, or English as a Second Language classes that may be available in prisons; inmates’ experiences with prison jobs; and involvement in nonacademic programs, such as employment readiness classes. The presentation of this session will be based on a report on the findings of the PIAAC Prison Study that will be released in June 2016. The report will provide a snapshot of the skills of incarcerated adults and compare them with those of the PIAAC household population.

Author

• Jaleh Soroui, American Institutes for Research