As in society, inmates are interviewed for jobs and periodically evaluated to determine their productivity and ability to work well with others. The wages they earn reflect rankings provided by the Department of Labor s dictionary of occupation titles. So, as is true in society, the more education the inmates have, the better their earning potential. When inmates earn their GEDs, their base pay rates rise, and they become eligible for enrollment in postsecondary vocational pro-grams and for premium pay work assignments. In addition to school and work, Missouri inmates participate in treatment programs.
Most offenders receive substance abuse education, with many needing long-term treatment.
Overlapping those two groups are 15 percent of inmates who have chronic mental health problems. For each group, treatment is the first step and relapse prevention is the second. Compliance is continually checked in a variety of ways, such as urinalysis for substance abusers, polygraph tests for sex offenders and, for those with mental health problems, confirmation they are taking medication, if and as prescribed. Although beneficial, it is not enough for offenders to become literate, employable and sober. Inmates who earn GEDs are only better-educated offenders.