Studies Find Prison Education Can Save America Tens of Billions of Dollars

    PETERSBURG, VA, October 27, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The national deficit is a hot topic. It is overburdened with a massive prison budget comprising the cost of complex, high-tech prison construction, and operations; utilities, food, medical supplies and sanitation systems for the prisoners, as well as staff salaries and benefits.

Providing post-secondary and academic education to prisoners can cut $60 billion from our national budget every year - without cutting existing programs, according to the research of Christopher Zoukis, author of College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons (McFarland and Company, 2014).

Just released, College for Convicts is a compilation and summary of several hundred articles, conference papers, and academic studies over the past two decades, all of which show that if we reduce recidivism by even a mere 10%, we can save approximately $60 billion while improving public safety.

"The statistics speak for themselves when it comes to recidivism rates and education. Wouldn't we rather release into society educated and rehabilitated ex-prisoners who qualify for jobs, who pay taxes, and spend consumer dollars to bolster our economy so taxpayers don't have to?" Zoukis asks.

Christopher writes the plain facts:

- There are 2.3 million incarcerated prisoners
- 700,000 are violent offenders who have a 6th grade level of education and will likely re-offend and end up back in prison
- Prisoners who attain an AA degree- 13.7% recidivism
- Prisoners who attain a bachelor's degree-5.6% recidivism
- Prisoners who attain a master's Degree- 0% recidivism

"Clearly not all prisoners can be educated," Zoukis writes. "But the number of prisoners who are beyond rehabilitation is relatively small; most are eager for education and can turn from crime to live a productive, law-abiding life. As a result, crime in America would decrease more and more with every generation."

To learn more about how education in American prisons is an effective tool for crime control, visit http://www.prisoneducation.com.

To book an interview with Christopher Zoukis or to receive a review copy of the book contact Rachel Sentes, Publicist 604-366-7846 or email [email protected].

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