Rebuilding Lives. Strengthening Communities.

The current need for IDOC’s educational programs far
exceeds its capacity. School District 428 estimated that
approximately 38 percent of prisoners tested at intake
scored below the sixth-grade level, and thus needed ABE
classes. 16 Because of the limited number of teachers at each
correctional facility and the mandate for all prisoners
scoring below a sixth-grade level to take ABE classes, there
is a large waiting list. In 2003, 2,846 prisoners were on a
waiting list for ABE classes. 17
GED (General Educational Development) classes to
prepare for the GED test also are in high demand. 18 The
percentage of prisoners who need to obtain a GED is
harder to determine, according to School District 428,
because prisoners self-report this academic need. 19 The
Literacy Council, however, indicates that 75 percent of all
prisoners in Illinois have not completed high school, and
36 percent have not even completed ninth grade. 20 In
2003, 1,801 prisoners were on a waiting list for GED
classes. 21
Access to and participation in all these educational classes
is limited for several reasons. The lack of teachers has
restricted educational programming, the state’s Early
Retirement Initiative doubled the number of personnel
vacancies, and budget cuts have made replacing these
individuals difficult. 22 The frequent transfer of prisoners
between facilities, short length of some prisoners’
sentences, and conflicts with other activities also may
result in low enrollment.
But prisoners reentering society without significantly
improving their education level likely will only find
employment in entry-level, low-paying, high-turnover
jobs. 23 This situation, in turn, increases the likelihood that
these individuals will return to prison.
Solution
Educational classes are among the most basic rehabilitative
programs that prison can offer. Appreciating the role
that education can play in reducing recidivism, Governor
Blagojevich increased School District 428’s budget to
nearly $32 million in 2005 and promised to undertake a
major initiative to eliminate waiting lists for GED classes. 24
Since the governor’s directive, GED waiting lists have been
reduced by nearly 50 percent. This is progress. However,
the state should commit to eliminating waiting lists for
ABE classes as well, and should aim to increase the
number of prisoners receiving GEDs annually to over
10 percent of the total prison population by 2010.
Additional funding to increase capacity is only part of the
solution. Prisoners must understand the importance of
education as a fundamental tool to become prepared for a
competitive labor market upon release. To this end, IDOC
should develop institutional incentives for program participation.
One such incentive is “good conduct” credit; that
is, a reduction in prisoners’ sentences for good behavior or
participation in certain programs. Under good conduct
rules, prisoners can earn credit (e.g., their sentence
reduced by one half day) for every day they participate in
educational programming. 25
However, currently, any person who has served more than
one prior sentence for a felony in an adult correctional
facility is ineligible to receive good conduct credit, 26
effectively preventing more than 25 percent of the prison
population from utilizing this incentive. 27 To better
promote educational opportunities within a correctional
setting, good conduct credit should be revised or
expanded, either legislatively or administratively, to
include more of the prison population.
MAYORAL POLICY CAUCUS ON PRISONER REENTRY
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