The stated mission of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is "to protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens " (emphasis added). Rehabilitative programs are designed not only to prevent inmate idleness, but to also form a part of an effective reentry strategy for inmates. CRS used data from the 1997 and 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities to analyze (1) whether there has been an increase in the proportion of federal inmates in need of rehabilitative programming, (2) if inmates with a need for rehabilitative programming were more likely than other inmates to participate in a program to address their need, and (3) whether there was an increase between 1997 and 2004 in the probability that inmates with a reported need participated in rehabilitative programming. Potential issues relevant to this analysis include the amount of resources available to BOP to carry out its mission to provide rehabilitative programming to federal inmates and the structure of incentives for inmates to participate in rehabilitative programs. The report starts with a brief overview of BOP, followed by a description of BOP's main rehabilitative programs. Next, there is a short review of the research on the effectiveness of rehabilitative programming. The report then turns to the analysis described above. The report concludes with a discussion of selected issues for Congress. BOP is a component of the Department of Justice (DOJ), and it is responsible for the custody and care of all federal prisoners. BOP was established in 1930 to house federal inmates, to professionalize the prison service, and to ensure consistent and centralized administration of the federal prison system. At the end of 1930, BOP operated 14 facilities for just over 13,000 inmates. By 1940, BOP opened 10 additional prisons while the federal prison population grew by approximately 11,000 inmates. According to BOP, the number of inmates did not change significantly between 1940 and 1980. However, during this time period the number of prisons operated by BOP almost doubled as it moved from operating large prisons confining inmates of many security levels to operating smaller prisons that confined inmates with similar security needs. BOP currently operates 117 correctional facilities, housing approximately 178,000 inmates. BOP reports that approximately 82% of inmates under its jurisdiction are housed in BOP-operated facilities; the remainder are housed in contract facilities (i.e., privately managed secure or community-based facilities or local jails). All BOP correctional facilities are classified according to one of five different security levels: minimum, low, medium, high, or administrative. A facility's security level is based on the facility's features, which include the presence of external patrols, towers, security barriers, or detection devices; the type of housing within the institution; internal security features; and the staff-to-inmate ratio. BOP also contracts with Residential Re-entry Centers (RRCs) (i.e., halfway houses) to provide assistance to inmates nearing release. RRCs are intended to provide inmates with a structured and supervised environment along with employment counseling, job placement services, financial management assistance, and other programs and services. RRCs facilitate inmates' efforts at reestablishing ties to the community while allowing correctional staff to supervise inmates' activities. According to BOP, its goal is to place inmates in RRCs for the amount of time necessary to provide the greatest likelihood of successful reentry into the community. BOP provides a variety of rehabilitative programs for federal prison inmates, three of which are the focus of this report: work assignments through the Federal Prison Industries (FPI), educational programs, and substance abuse treatment. Each program is discussed in more detail below. It is BOP's policy that all sentenced inmates are required to work if they are medically able. According to BOP, work programs assist with inmate management by reducing idleness and they teach inmates skills and the importance of a good work ethic. Inmates can work in either institutional work assignments or FPI factories. For both institutional work assignments and FPI factory jobs, a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) is required for all work assignments above entry level. Inmates working in FPI jobs are paid between $0.23 and $1.15 per hour. All inmates or detainees may be considered for an FPI job unless the inmate is a pretrial inmate or is currently under an order of deportation, exclusion, or removal. Inmates working in FPI factories are also eligible, as earnings permit, to participate in training that relates directly to the inmate's job assignment. Inmates selected to participate in FPI-funded job training must have enough time left on their sentences to allow them to complete the training. FPI also provides scholarships to allow inmates to begin, or continue, postsecondary business and industry courses or vocational training. According to BOP, 9.0% of inmates had an FPI work assignment in FY2010. BOP provides inmates with a variety of education programs, including the Literacy/GED program, the Occupational Education program, the English-as-a-Second Language program, and the Postsecondary Education program. This report focuses on the Literacy/GED and Occupational Education programs because they are the two programs inmates are the most likely to participate in. Under current law, BOP is required to both provide a functional literacy program for all mentally capable inmates who are not functionally literate and to offer literacy/GED programs for inmates who have not earned a high school diploma or its equivalent. In addition, federal inmates are required to make satisfactory progress toward earning a high school diploma or a GED in order to earn their full allotment of good time credit. BOP's literacy program is designed to help inmates develop reading, math, and writing skills, and to prepare inmates for earning a GED credential. With few exceptions (e.g., pretrial inmates, inmates committed for the purpose of observation, inmates determined by the staff to be temporarily unable to participate in the literacy program due to circumstances beyond their control, and sentenced deportable aliens), all sentenced inmates without a high school diploma or a GED are required to enroll in the adult literacy program for a minimum of 240 hours or until a GED is earned, whichever comes first. After completing the required 240 hours of instructional time in the literacy program, an inmate may elect to discontinue participation in the literacy program. However, if an inmate chooses to opt out of the literacy program after completing 240 hours of instructional time, it can affect the inmate's ability to earn the full allotment of good time credit. Also, not continuing in the literacy program, or not earning a GED, can limit the type of work assignments an inmate can receive. According to BOP, 12.3% of federal inmates participated in a literacy/GED course in FY2010. BOP provides an occupational education program at nearly all of its correctional facilities. To participate in an occupational education program, an inmate must have a high school diploma, have earned a GED, or be concurrently enrolled in a GED program. Occupational education programs may include the following types of training: Exploratory training : Exploratory training is a study of occupations and industries for the purpose of providing the inmate with a general knowledge of an occupation and the work world. This type of training does not provide specific skill development. Marketable training : Marketable training provides inmates with the skills necessary to work in an entry-level position in a specific occupation or a related group of occupational fields. Marketable training can include "live work," meaning that the work results in a product or service for use by the correctional institution, FPI, another federal agency, or a community service project. Apprentice training : Apprentice training provides inmates with the opportunity to train for post-release employment in various trades. The Bureau of Apprenticeship Training (BAT) works with the institution's education staff to develop registered apprenticeship programs. Inmates may be required to make a co-payment to enroll and participate in an occupational education program. Co-payments are limited to the cost of books for the courses. According to BOP, 6.4% of federal inmates participated in an occupational education course in FY2010. Current law (18 U.S.C. §3621) requires BOP to provide, subject to appropriations, residential substance abuse treatment and appropriate aftercare for all eligible prisoners. Prisoners who are convicted of nonviolent crimes who successfully complete a residential substance abuse treatment program can have their sentence reduced by not more than one year. BOP's policy is to interview all new inmates to screen them for drug abuse problems. BOP also reviews each inmate's records for evidence of drug abuse. Based on the interview and record review, BOP staff makes a drug education/treatment referral. BOP offers four types of drug abuse treatment to federal inmates: (1) a drug abuse education course, (2) non-residential drug abuse treatment, (3) residential drug abuse treatment, and (4) community transition drug abuse treatment. Each program is discussed in more detail below. A drug abuse education course is offered at all BOP institutions.