AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC CORRECTIONAL INMATES
In the United States of America, an educational campaign is being designed to promote change and to reform criminal offenders among correctional inmates. It likewise aims to reduce the rate of recidivism because the population of prisoners has been growing continuously. Particularly this drove the Department of Correction to come up of a program that will help them in stopping the increasing number of prisoners.
Prisoners in United States are consist of Hispanic offenders and non-Hispanic groups. Non-Hispanic offenders include the African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Caucasians and other minority groups. From the research conducted and authored by the Research and Planning Division of the Department of Corrections of the United States, there were 10,356 totaled inmates with 23% (2,428) Hispanic incarcerated, 46% (4,751) Caucasian offenders, 29% (3,024) African Americans offenders and 2% (153) from other minority races. (RPD, 1999) The research also showed the continuing growth of the population of the prisoners arising more from Hispanic offender group than of African American incarcerated. It was studied that 94% of Hispanic inmates were U.S. citizens (from New York, California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Connecticut and Arizona), and the other 6% were from Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Columbia. According to the 2001 Adult Correctional Populations’ statistics, nearly 6.6 million people IN U.S. were on probation, in jail or prison. The group assessed that the incarcerated population grew an average 3.6% annually.
According to the Department of Corrections, the primary offenses of prisoners involved drug charges, personal offenses, property offenses, and sex offenses, all were said caused of inadequate educational level of attainment of the prisoners. DOC affirmed that illiteracy was one factor that caused prisoners into jail. Other studies likewise disclosed this information that poor and deficiency of education contributes to the criminal behavior of the prisoners among the Hispanic and African American inmates. From the statistical study provided by the Lehigh University, it showed that 55% of African American suffers educational disability. Educational disability means that the educational needs of people are restricted causing them to be impulsive, slow, retarded and low I.Q. Educationally disabled needs most literacy education with basic and proper reading and writing.
Illiteracy is a persisting problem the state and the correctional department face. This is being remedied as the basic and challenging task of the correctional education. The emergence and promotion of correctional education program in the United States aims to promote growth in literacy and a decline in criminality that was said the way out to prison. Notably a right kind of education must be taught. A right kind of education requires that trainers must be equipped enough to educate inmates for a great reintegration and reformation. Having right education helps reducing inmates from recidivating. Recidivism refers to released offenders returning to prison for having committed new crimes. Greater literacy and more extensive education that inmates could achieve, the lower the recidivism rate possible. Education therefore is a vital force in advancing the campaign of the state and of DOC. Educator’s capability and liability is understood critical and crucial. They must be dressed of good moral character and armed educationally to develop a harmonious rapport relation between the correctional staff and inmate. It is important to have trained and good educators to advance right education to avoid experiencing intolerable situations by the inmates like what had transpired in the past where prison educators were been reported so inhumane, hostile, undereducated and intrusive. New batch of prison educators so came up. Concept of prison was redefined and restated. It was no longer a place of punishment for sins committed against society but as a place of reformation and reintegration of offenders. Basically, prison education strives to give inmates higher thoughts, increased acquisitions and desires for a better life. The educational program helped inmates acquire certain skills to have them a successful transition back into society once they are released from prison, hence reducing recidivism. The educational program also prepares inmates psychologically for reentry into the free world. Studies showed that participation of incarcerated in correctional education programs seems to result in some decrease in recidivism. Education hence is a change-agent factor. Incarceration then is viewed in a different and modernized perspective – it is meant to change attitudes.
A study from Lehigh University concluded that African American inmates who are educationally disabled was affected of their socio-economic background, unstable childhood home, and the incidence of specific learning disabilities that molded their anti-social behavior which resulted in eventual contact with the criminal justice system. Study says that many educationally disabled people are mentally unhealthy and behaviorally disordered and many mentally unhealthy disordered people are educationally disabled. Justifications were given. One was that the correction system of the United States did not fully provide an expensive and highly specialized education for large population of inmates. Another was that the trained staffs or the prison educators are in short supply. In contrary, there must be a large number of trainers to reform the inmates and make them better for the outside world. This shows only that there is a little interagency cooperation in the department. State law variation has been argued affecting the educationally disabled. Logically explained that different races or origin have different laws to observe and follow. Racial feud emerges. This also impeded the educational advancement promoted by the department of correction. Another justification that hinders the educational program was the difficulty to identify and track those who are educationally disabled. Here come the difficulties for the educators. Educators must really be educated, trained and painstaking to achieve some type of cooperative working relationship with prison administration and security staff and inmates.
It was studied that the content of the literacy programs of the Correctional and Jail Association reflected the diversity of human experience, which was so meaningful and relevant to the inmates and touched their real-life concerns and issues. The content or theme furnished information that inmates need for their return to society. These contents design the literacy program effective and practical. The program’s integration of basic-skills development with life-skills development indicated that the literacy program was supportive, providing positive reinforcement and social modeling to the inmates.
Apparently, majority of the Hispanic and African American inmates suffered illiteracy. If not only so, there would be lesser number of inmates in prisons. If only the problem of illiteracy would be reduced and solved, numbers of inmates is lesser. The expectation, dedication and affection showed of the concerned departments as well as the correctional officers involved for a positive result of the educational campaign for inmates hope to be effective and successful. The officers however must incorporate among themselves the ethics and duties they swore in for the fulfillment of their campaign. They should take advantage of all the education and training opportunities designed to assist them to become a more competent officer. However, the educational program will be more effective and successful if the public at large will help and support the literacy campaign of the Department of Corrections and of the State. That would produce positively good citizens after prisoners have been reformed, reintegrated and learned to conform to the laws and other governing policies of the state. Racism must be a NO-NO Policy to all to avoid racial feuds. Groups must be treated fairly and laws must be implemented impartially. To largely avoid massive number of prisoners, United States must prioritize the education of all its constituents without racism and genderism character. Importance of education starting from the younger school years must be well established. It will help reducing insecurities, anxieties and criminal behavior. It shapes mentally, physically and emotionally the people too. It is fair that prisons are no longer viewed as a place of punishment but for the betterment of prisoner’s life that has offended the society and now is given chance to go back and rejoins the society for good. Since prison is redefined, the atmosphere inside must also be changed for an integral and effective reformation of inmates, from an idle atmosphere to a productive incarceration. By doing so, prisoners are prevented from committing new crimes.
Change has to be accomplished for good.
Bibliography
Research and Planning Division, Hispanic Offenders in the DOC: A Statistical Description, Available: http://www.State.ma.us/doc/Research/rpthist.html (Accessed: 2003, March 29).
Ellis, J. (2000, January 10 – last update), “A Multiethnic Approach to Correctional Health Care”, (Corrections Alert), Available: http://www.cmsstl.com/ellis.html
“Corrections Statistics”, Available: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ (Accessed: 2003, March 29).
“AJA Resolutions”, Available: http://www.corrections.com.aja/resolutions/index.html (Accessed: 2003, March 29).
Newman, Annabel P., Lewis, Warren, and Beverstock, Caroline, “Prison Literacy: Implications for Program and Assessment Policy”, Available: wdr.doleta.gov/research/rlib_doc.asp?docn=5230
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