Effective Teaching in Correctional Settings: Prisons, Jails, Juvenile Centers, and Alternative Schools

This book has a dual purpose: to identify problems faced by people who teach in correctional institutions and to propose solutions for those problems. The intent of this book is to help both new instructors as well as current ones perform their jobs effectively. The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the reader to the field of correctional education, describing correctional efforts in America, the kinds of facilities, the inmate populations, and the controversies, including advocates and critics, over providing educational opportunities. A description is provided on the kinds of educational and rehabilitation programs, including the varieties and sources of teachers and administrators. Part two explores the teaching process and how students are analyzed on their abilities, learning disorders, gender, ethnicity, gang membership, length of imprisonment, and reasons for enrolling in educational programs. Each chapter is divided into two major sections: the first section studies the perspective and the second section concerns problems and solutions. Each problem is posed as a brief case study that includes the nature of a particular problem, factors affecting decisions about what a teacher might do, and one or more proposed solutions. Part three summarizes key concepts from the previous chapters and speculates about the state of correctional education in the years ahead. It will be of interest to those who contemplate a career in correctional education, those who are already in correctional education, or those who simply want to learn what teaching in a prison, jail, or juvenile facility is all about.