A Rapid Evidence Assessment of the effectiveness of prison education in reducing recidivism and increasing employment
| Author | Chris Fox,Mark Ellison,Kirstine Szifris,Rachel Horan |
| Published date | 01 June 2017 |
| Date | 01 June 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0264550517699290 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
A Rapid Evidence
Assessment of the
effectiveness of prison
education in reducing
recidivism and
increasing employment
Mark Ellison
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Kirstine Szifris
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Rachel Horan
The Averment Group, UK
Chris Fox
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Abstract
This is a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of educational programmes delivered
within prison. Included in this review are evaluations of vocational, academic, basic
skills, accredited and unaccredited educational provision in prison where recidivism
and/or employment were measured as outcomes. Initial searches returned 4304 titles
and abstracts. Of these, 28 papers met the criteria for inclusion. Only 18 papers
provided sufficient information and robust enough research design to be included in
the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis on 18 reoffending studies identified that delivering
education in prison settings has a positive impact on recidivism. Overall, the pooled
odds ratio indicates a reduction in the likelihood of recidivating of approximately
Corresponding Author:
Kirstine Szifris, Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU), Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey
Manton Building, Rosamund Street, Manchester, M15 6LL, UK.
Email: K.Szifris@mmu.ac.uk
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2017, Vol. 64(2) 108–128
ªThe Author(s) 2017
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0264550517699290
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
one-third (0.64 ¼64%*2/3). Meta-analysis on five employment studies identified
that education in prison settings has a positive impact on employment. Overall, odds
ratiosindicated a 24 per cent increasein likelihood of gainingemployment if the prisoner
engages in prison education. However, this is based on a small number of papers with
statistical findings being less robust andevidence drawn largely from the USA.
Keywords
prison education, recidivism, employment, Rapid Evidence Assessment, meta-analy-
sis, Coates Review
Introduction
The purpose of this Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) is to review evidence on the
link between education in prison and post-release outcomes. The review focuses on
employment and recidivism as desirable outcomes of engaging in prison education.
It was commissioned by Novus (part of the Manchester College Group). REAs are
appraisals of existing evidence that sit somewhere between the equivalent of Health
Technology Assessments (HTAs) and fully developed systematic reviews in the field
of health care (Government Social Research Unit, 2007). They follow a similar
process to systematic reviews and involve: collating descriptive outlines of the
available evidence on a topic; devising structured search terms used to identify
relevant research studies held in electronic bibliographic databases and other
sources; critically appraising the studies identified; sifting out studies deemed to be
of poor quality; and providing an overview of what that evidence tells us and what is
missing from it.
One aim of an REA is to highlight relevant evidence to service providers and
establishments regarding, in this case, the contribution of education to recidivism
and post-release employment, in such a way that this research can be used to
develop evidence-led policy. REAs can be completed in approximately thee months
as opposed to between six months and a year for a full systematic review. The main
advantages of an REA are to provide a structured, transparent and replicable
search of the literature that takes account of the methodological rigour of available
studies when summarizing the available evidence in a reasonably timely manner.
However, the trade-offs include the potential loss of some relevant studies, partic-
ularly unpublished ones.
All papers included in this article discuss prison education and its impact on
rates of recidivism and employment. The nature and types of education that
are discussed vary, with the majority of studies failing to provide information
around the specific types of courses. Nearly all of the papers are from the
United States, with only one coming from the United Kingdom. This means
most papers discuss either basic education, GED (General Education Diploma)
qualifications or ‘post-secondary’ education without providing details of sub-
ject content, delivery, or duration. There are some exceptions to this: most
notably, Duguid and Pawson’s (1998) work around liberal arts education in
Ellison et al. 109
To continue reading
Request your trial