Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | Page 96

Re-entry and Integration pro-social activities, making them less likely to engage in risky behaviours or meet up with criminal associates. Re-entry programs that focus on preparing individuals in prisons for employment can have a significant impact on those individuals, their families, and their communities. Catching up on literacy and education Contributing to the challenges involved in re-entry is the fact that individuals in the criminal justice system often have had limited education. It is not surprising to find that the majority of prisoners have not completed their secondary school education. Because education is strongly tied to a person’s employment opportunities, financial stability, and quality of life, providing educational and vocational programs to adults and youth during incarceration is critical. We have done well here in this area as we are critically attuned to improving literacy and education especially for younger offenders. In the case of improving literacy for adult offenders, we can perhaps do better by paying greater sensitivity to adult learning especially in a setting where the individuals are already highly self conscious of their limitations. A study2 by the RAND Corporation in the US found that, on average, individuals who participated in correctional education programs were 43 percent less likely to go back to crime upon release than those who had not participated. In addition, connecting individuals to these programs when they return to their communities after their prison term can set them on the path to obtaining employment and having the tools they need to succeed upon their release. Fostering Positive Relationships and Facilitating Services through Mentoring I will now touch on the youth population as they can benefit most from mentoring. Research has shown that youths who have at least one meaningful, 2 RAND Corporation. (2014). How Effective Is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here?. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR564.html 95