I believed that inmates who attend college and graduate out of a desire for personal change would have higher self-efficacy scores than inmates who either did not attend college or failed to graduate. However, the resulting analysis revealed that it is desire to change, rather than an interaction between change and successful college programming, that significantly influences inmate self-efficacy. Although an association between college programming and self-efficacy could not be verified, this relationship emphasizes the importance of the availability of college programming as part of the rehabilitation process. The abolition of inmate post-secondary education is currently a popular sound bite for aspiring politicians. However, there are strong arguments supporting its availability.
Many inmates pursuing post-secondary education begin with less than a high school diploma.
This type of commitment alone should illustrate college programming's value as a rehabilitative tool. On a more personal note, college programming has kept me busy and productive, has given me career choices and has allowed me to plan for the future. Most of all, it changed my life by giving me hope.