The Well-Being Impacts Associated with College in Prison

A Comparison of Incarcerated and Non-Incarcerated Students Who Identify as Women

Bibliographic Data

ID21373185
AuthorsSarah Y Moore (University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, USA, corresponding author), Tanya Erzen (University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, USA)
Year2023
Volume103
Issue1
Pages3-22
Publication date2023-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Prison Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-8855 • E-ISSN: 1552-7522
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00328855221139843
OpenAlexW4309717871
LanguageEN
References cited20

Benefits of college in prison (CIP) programs often center on reduced recidivism and other post-release adjustment outcomes. This article argues for broader recognition of positive outcomes to include well-being, coping, and academic engagement for incarcerated students, noting the specific challenges for female-identifying inmates with backgrounds that often include high levels of abuse and violence. Using longitudinal data from female-identifying students in a CIP program and comparison data from a matched non-incarcerated sample, improvements in these outcome measures are demonstrated as incarcerated students remain in the program. Importantly, their measures of well-being, coping, and academic engagement were significantly better than the matched non-incarcerated sample for most measures. Further, the possible underlying mechanism for the findings is discussed, linking them to program characteristics that emphasize the development of community, agency, and personalized—in-person education—qualities that are in alignment with trauma-informed practices

Agency (philosophy) · Coping (psychology) · Criminology · Medical education · Prison · Recidivism · Sample (material) · Sociology · Clinical Psychology · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Education Discipline and Inequality · Medicine · Psychology · Youth Substance Use and School Attendance

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