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November 16, 2016

Dear Colleagues,

Today, more than two million adults in the United States are incarcerated in local  jails and federal and state prisons.**[ 1 ]** The  United States accounts for less than five percent of the world's population,  but nearly 25 percent of its inmates.**[ 2 ]** According  to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, at least 95 percent of state prisoners  will leave incarceration and be reintegrated into society at some point. **[ 3 ]** In  order to reduce recidivism, it is important for these individuals to become productive  and contributing members of our society.   Providing these individuals with opportunity, advancement, and  rehabilitation is not only the right thing to do, it also positions our country  to remain economically competitive in a global economy.  To foster this reintegration and reduce  recidivism, we as a nation must continue to expand and develop correctional  education and reentry support programs.

Research  suggests that correctional education programs can have a positive impact on people  in prison.  Incarcerated individuals who  participate in correctional education are 43 percent less likely to recidivate  and 58 percent more likely to find post-release employment than incarcerated individuals  who do not participate.**[ 4 ]** These  outcomes are likely to improve the well-being of the individual, their families,  and their communities.  Research also estimates  the cost-effectiveness of these programs.   A conservative cost-benefit analysis shows that for every dollar spent on  correctional education, four to five dollars may be saved on three-year reincarceration  costs.**[ 5 ]**The evidence shows that correctional  education programs have the potential to decrease crime, save money, and change  lives.  High-quality correctional  education has become one of the most effective crime-prevention tools at our  disposal.

On  November 15, 2016, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the  U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a report on the skills and education  and training experiences of our nation's incarcerated population, *Highlights from the U.S. PIAAC Survey of  Incarcerated Adults:  Their Skills, Work  Experience, Education, and Training*.  The study, using 2014 data, was based on the  Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an  international study that assesses adult competencies in literacy, numeracy, and  technology skills.  The PIAAC Survey of  Incarcerated Adults also assessed these skills and examined various  demographics in our prison population, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity,  health status, educational attainment level, learning disabilities, and  parents' educational attainment level.   These data can be compared with individuals in the general population.  Additionally, the report provides information  about the availability of and participation in correctional education and  training programs and examines inmates' previous and current work  experiences.  According to the newly  released PIAAC report, 29 percent of incarcerated adults have low literacy  skills and another 52 percent have low numeracy skills, compared to 19 percent  and 29 percent respectively of U.S. households.  Despite this and limited correctional  education and training resources, 21 percent of incarcerated adults are  studying for a formal degree or certificate program and 70 percent of incarcerated  adults indicated a desire to do so to advance their education. The findings of  this report provide us with a deeper understanding of the underlying issues affecting  incarcerated individuals, and inspire us to continue this important work.

On  July 31, 2015, ED announced Second Chance Pell, an experiment to test outcomes  when incarcerated individuals interested in pursuing a postsecondary education  are allowed access to Pell Grants.  This announcement stimulated interest  and garnered support around correctional education as evident by the sizeable  response from over 200 institutions of higher education.   ED announced its partnership with 69 postsecondary  institutions across the country, providing Pell Grants to approximately 12,000  incarcerated individuals being served under the experiment so they can access  postsecondary education and training programs to help them obtain employment,  support their families, and avoid recidivism after reintegrating into society.

In  addition, the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)  provides resources specifically for correctional education.  Under Title II of WIOA, additional funding is  allocated to states to advance educational opportunities to individuals in  correctional institutions and other institutionalized individuals (i.e.  individuals residing in facilities operated by a state mental health agency or  individuals in civil confinement institutions).   WIOA expanded the allowable program components for correctional  education to include integrated education and training, career pathways and  transition to reentry initiatives, and other post-release services. WIOA places  a priority on using funds to serve incarcerated individuals who are likely to  be released within five years of participation in the program.

ED's  FY 2015 investment, the Improved Reentry Education program, seeks to  demonstrate that strategic, high-quality educational and transitional  assistance — provided in institutional and community settings — are critical in  supporting educational attainment and reentry success for previously incarcerated  individuals.  This program builds on the  success from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's (OCTAE's) fiscal  year (FY) 2013 investment, entitled Promoting Reentry Success through  Continuity of Educational Opportunities, in which over $900,000 was  awarded. In FY 2015 and FY 2016, ED awarded over $5.4 million to nine entities  to continue this mission under Improved Reentry Education grants.  OCTAE's Office of Correctional Education**[ 6 ]** will  provide technical assistance to the nine grantees through a technical  assistance contract with Jobs for the Future to ensure high-quality programming  and supportive reentry supports for incarcerated individuals participating in  the programs.

It  is estimated that 40 percent of incarcerated individuals lack a high school  diploma, in comparison to 19 percent of the general population over the age of  16, and 83 percent lack a postsecondary degree.**[ 7 ]** Despite  these facts, less than one quarter of incarcerated individuals participate in  secondary education programs while far less participate in postsecondary  programs.**[ 8 ]** It is in our collective interest to further develop and expand correctional  education programs.

In  today's global economy, employment depends on 21st century skills and  credentials from everyone in our workforce.   By 2020, an estimated 65 percent of all jobs will require postsecondary  training and education.**[ 9 ]** Equipping incarcerated individuals with these foundational skills and technical  competencies will make them more employable upon reentry and increase their  ability to contribute.

Nurturing  correctional education and reentry support programs is a shared societal  responsibility. Investing in these initiatives saves taxpayer dollars, creates  opportunities, and changes lives.  Thank  you for your continued partnership and commitment to correctional education and  reentry support programs.

| | Sincerely,       
| | -----------------
| | /s/              
| | John B. King, Jr.

### Footnotes

1. Carson, Ann E.  Prisoners in 2014. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of  Justice Statistics, 2015. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p14.pdf.**[ Return to text ]**
2. Walmsley, Roy,  World Prison Population List, 11th edition (London, England: International  Center for Prison Studies, 2015)  http://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/world_prison_population_list_11th_edition.pdf.**[ Return to text ]**
3. Guerino, Paul, Paige M. Harrison, and William  J. Sabol. Prisoners in 2010.Washington,  D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice and Statistics, 2011.  http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p10.pdf.**[ Return to text ]**
4. Davis, Lois M.,  Jennifer L. Steele, Robert Bozick, Malcolm Williams, Susan Turner, Jeremy N. V.  Miles, Jessica Saunders and Paul S. Steinberg. How Effective Is Correctional  Education, and Where Do We Go from Here? The Results of a Comprehensive  Evaluation. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2014.**[ Return to text ]**
5. Davis, xxii.**[ Return to text ]**
6. ED's Office of  Correctional Education is a unit within OCTAE.**[ Return to text ]**
7. Crayton, A., and  Neusteter, S. R.. *The Current State of  Correctional Education*. New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice,  Prisoner Reentry Institute, 2008.**[ Return to text ]**
8. Crayton, A., and  Neusteter, S. R.. *Crayton, A., and  Neusteter, S. R.***[ Return to text ]**
9. Carnevale, A.,  Smith, N., and Strohl, J. Recovery: Job Growth and Education Requirements  Through 2020, Georgetown Public Policy Institute Center on Education and the  Workforce, June 2013.**[ Return to text ]**