Abstract:
This research focuses on the provision of college courses as a means of rehabilitating inmatesconfined in correctional institutions. The central concern is the perceptions of college faculty instructing inmate-students. Three dimensions were considered: the perceived ability of inmate-students, the perceived motivation and effort expended by inmate-students, and the perceived conduciveness of the correctional environment for the provision of college courses.Employing a survey research methodology of faculty who had served as instructors of college courses in the institutional setting, the project revealed faculty perceiving inmate-students as possessing the same academic abilities as students enrolled in college courses in the traditional campus setting. Additionally, faculty expressed the belief that inmate-students were motivated to take courses out of a genuine interest in obtaining a college degree and the desire to favorably impress correctional and court officials. The surveyed faculty perceived the inmate-student as dedicating more efforts to college course work than the typical college student. Faculty opined that correctional administrators and line staff do not support college education programs for inmates and, based on their experiences, believed that the facilities utilized for college courses in the prison setting and the resources available to inmate students were less than adequate.
