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This book explores prisoners' experiences of prison education and investigates whether participation in prison education contributes to an offender's ability to desist from crime and increases social capital levels.
While the link between prison education and reduced rates of recidivism is well established through research, far less is known about the relationship between prison education and desistance. The book demonstrates how prisoners experience many benefits from participating in prison education, including increased confidence, self-control and agency, along with various other cognitive changes. In addition, the book examines prisoners' accounts that provide evidence of strong connections between prison education and the formation of pro-social bonds which have been shown to play a role in the desistance process. It also highlights the links between prison education and social capital, and the existence of a form of prison-based social capital arising from the prison culture.
Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to those engaged in criminology, sociology, penology, desistance, rehabilitation, the sociology of education and all those interested in learning more about the positive impact of prison education on prisoners.
List of contents
1.Introduction 2.Research Methods 3.Prison Education: Exploring the Concept 4.Prison Education: Motivations, Barriers and Experiences 5.Personal Change, Desistance and Prison Education 6.Structural Theories, Social Bonds and Prison Education 7.Social Capital, Prison Education and Desistance 8.Changing Perspectives on Prison Education and Desistance
About the author
Geraldine Cleere is a lecturer in Law and Criminology at Waterford Institute of Technology. She is an active member of various research groups and networks related to her research interests that include prison education, desistance, prison officer education and role development, social and prison-based capital and prison law.
Summary
This book explores prisoners’ experiences of prison education and investigates whether participation in prison education contributes to an offender’s ability to desist from crime and increases social capital levels.
While the link between prison education and reduced rates of recidivism is well established through research, far less is known about the relationship between prison education and desistance. The book demonstrates how prisoners experience many benefits from participating in prison education, including increased confidence, self-control and agency, along with various other cognitive changes. In addition, the book examines prisoners’ accounts that provide evidence of strong connections between prison education and the formation of pro-social bonds which have been shown to play a role in the desistance process. It also highlights the links between prison education and social capital, and the existence of a form of prison-based social capital arising from the prison culture.
Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to those engaged in criminology, sociology, penology, desistance, rehabilitation, the sociology of education and all those interested in learning more about the positive impact of prison education on prisoners.
