Doing Time or Wasting Time?: An Analysis Of the Accessibility of Prison Programs in State and Federal Correctional Facilities
Date
2012
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Haverford College. Department of Sociology
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Nearly forty percent of released prisoners recidivate and are re-incarcerated within three years of their release. Released prisoners not only face the stigma of having a criminal record but also perpetual unemployment, court fees, and eroded network and family ties. The lack of access to employment opportunities, adequate housing, and basic necessities causes many ex-offenders to participate in illegitimate opportunity structures and as a result, they are re-incarcerated. Education programs, vocational programs, and substance abuse treatment programs have been effective in lowering rates of recidivism by providing offenders the means to access legitimate opportunities. However, as prison programs are a resource, how they are allocated amongst prisoners gives us insight into potential perpetuation of inequality. Do those with the lowest levels of education and least skills have access to resources that could better their chances in the “open” labor market? With data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, I estimate the likelihood of participation in prison programs based on a variety of factors such as race, age, mental stability, prior substance abuse, pre-incarceration capital, type of crime, and behavior within prison. Logistic regression is utilized to estimate probabilities. I also study the effects that these different factors have on the probability of participation by race. I found that (1) African Americans are more likely to participate in high school education programs, inside work assignments, and substance abuse programs; (2) having completed high school and having been employed prior to incarceration greatly increases the probability of participation in vocational training programs and outside work assignments; and (3) only a small percentage of those who have had prior substance abuse have access to substance abuse treatment programs.