Top Highlights

• The incarcerated population has lower average education levels than the general population, which, coupled with the stigma of a criminal record, makes it difficult for returning citizens to find jobs—especially if they are Black.
• Individuals who enroll in postsecondary education programs are 48% less likely to be reincarcerated than those who do not, and the odds of being employed post-release are 12% higher for individuals who participate in any type of correctional education.
• stimates suggest that for every $1 spent on correctional education, $4 to $5 are saved on reincarceration costs.
• ostsecondary prison education programs are inextricably linked to advancing racial equity, especially given inequality in K-12 education that feeds low-income Black and Latinx students into the school-to-prison pipeline
• Individuals returning home from prison with college credentials play an important role in encouraging family members and friends to pursue additional education

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