Policy Online carries a link (2.5.16) to an Australian Institute of Criminology report outlining how education courses for prison system inmates can reduce rates of reoffending and long-term welfare dependence after prisoners’ release.
‘Using a longitudinal dataset of prisoners in Western Australia, this paper describes the effectiveness of correctional education in improving post-release outcomes. The report shows that the more classes completed by prisoners the lower the rate of re-incarceration and the less likely they are to increase the seriousness of their offending. These, and other personal and societal benefits such as a reduction in welfare dependence, were positively associated with the number of classes prisoners successfully completed—that is, the more classes the inmate successfully completes, the less likely they are to reoffend and to access unemployment benefits.’
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