Instructors’ Perceptions of Prison Education Programs

Abstract

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced the introduction of the Second Chance Pell Experiment, which for the first time since 1994, would allow incarcerated individuals to receive federal Pell Grant funding for post secondary education. Existing studies have used instructors’ perceptions of prison education programs to determine the effectiveness of prison education. This study utilizes a 30-item web-based survey to assess instructors’ perceptions of prison education programs that are participating in the Second Chance Pell Experiment and to add to the existing knowledge on prison education. The sample for this study consists of 160 instructors from 41 programs across 20 different states who were surveyed between November 2018 and May 2019. The present study assessed motivation to teach inside prison, perceived benefits to students, instructor satisfaction, and the comparison of prison programs to traditional college programs. The results of the study indicates that the majority of instructors are motivated to teach in prison for the rewarding experience, share the belief that prison education positively impacts students, report high levels of job satisfaction, and also believe that their prison education program is equivalent to traditional college programs. Future research on how to expand prison education programming and engage faculty members to teach inside prison is recommended.