The New York Reentry Education Network's Agenda and Policy Priorities
The New York Reentry Education Network (NYREN) is collaboratively leading the charge to focus public attention, energy and resources on making education central for people and communities affected by the criminal justice system. NYREN is helping communities, government agencies, and educational institutions harness the power of education to transform the lives of individuals with criminal justice system involvement, to improve public safety, and to strengthen New York City families and neighborhoods. For a full list of NYREN members, partners, and affiliates, click here. NYREN Launches its 2014 City Policy Recommendations and Platform.
For our NYC Policy Recommendations, click here. For our Platform, click here. NYREN supports the Education from the Inside Out Coalition to remove barriers to higher education facing students while they are in prison and once they come home. For more information, click here.
Why Does NYREN Focus on Education? Education is Individual and Community Empowerment |
Access to education is one of the most personally and financially empowering ways for people to escape the revolving doors of criminal justice system. Education provides individuals involved in the criminal justice system with the tools, resources, and opportunities to rebuild their lives, realize their full potential, and enter a meaningful and life-sustaining career path. It also creates leadership and role model development within families and communities. Offering high-quality education in criminal justice and reentry settings is a powerful strategy for reinvesting in communities that have been negatively impacted by pervasive poverty, low-performing schools, and mass incarceration.
Why is Educational Access Critical?
The High Costs of Incarceration and Recidivism for NYC
It costs New York State taxpayers $3.6 billion annually to support the state prison system.[i] New York City taxpayers spend $1.08 billion per year in local corrections.[ii] The annual cost of housing one inmate in the NYC corrections system is almost $168,000, more than that of any other U.S. municipality or state.[iii]
Both the state and city systems are costly to NYC residents in other ways. Many of NYC's incarcerated adults come primarily from a handful of low-income neighborhoods, with over 50% of those who enter prison coming from communities that make up only 18% of NYC's total population.[iv] Neighborhoods with the highest concentration of incarcerated people in the NYC corrections system include Brooklyn's Crown Heights, East New York, and Bedford Stuyvesant; The Bronx's Morrisania/South Bronx; Manhattan's Central Harlem and Morningside Heights; and Queens' Jamaica.[v]
The number of incarcerated people who come from the same neighborhoods is so concentrated in certain areas that the price of incarcerating the residents from a single block can exceed $1 million a year.[vi] The city corrections system also disproportionately impacts people of color, with black inmates making up 57% and Latino inmates making up 33% of the jail population.[vii]
Incarceration is not only costly and inequitable, it is ineffective. The recidivism rate in the NY State system is 39.9%,[viii] with a 42% rate in the NYC corrections systems.[ix] These high incarceration costs and recidivism rates place a high burden on taxpayers, threaten the public safety of our city, and devastate the social and economic well-being of those families and disadvantaged communities that are the most impacted by high concentrations of incarceration.
The Intersection of Criminal Justice and Education
The rates of education among adults in U.S. jails and prisons are lower than those of the general population.[x] Forty-three percent of New York State prisoners have not completed their high school education, [xi] compared to less than 20% of the general U.S. population.[xii] Low-income NYC neighborhoods that are the most adversely affected by mass incarceration are also plagued by low-performing and under-resourced schools.[xiii] Lower educational credentials combined with a lack of job skills and experience make it very difficult for individuals to find life-sustaining employment upon release, placing them at risk for re-offending.[xiv]
Education is a factor in the high rates of incarceration and recidivism. It is also a cost-effective solution to alleviate this public policy challenge. According to a 2013 RAND Corporation meta-analysis of 30 years of research on correctional education in the U.S., every $1 invested in prison education reduces incarceration costs by $4 during the first three years after an inmate is released.[xv] Inmates who participate in education programs are 43% less likely to recidivate than inmates who do not, and post-release employment was 13% higher for those who had participated in education while incarcerated. Formerly incarcerated individuals pursuing higher education and supported by community-based education programs experience reduced levels of re-arrest and re-incarceration.[xvi]
Each level of education completed increases one's yearly earnings.[xvii] Given that the average level of educational attainment is lower for incarcerated populations, their participation in education programs is even more critical to their economic stability upon reentry into their communities.
Educational Access as a Justice Reinvestment Strategy
Education in corrections and reentry is a powerful poverty reduction and justice reinvestment strategy. Our city's low-income neighborhoods with failing schools are under-resourced and in need of expanded educational and support services and programs. Public funds saved from reduced recidivism should go back into these low-income communities grappling with the effects of high rates of incarceration and educational inequity. These resources can be directed towards high school and college dropout prevention and community-wide educational supports and workforce development.
Education - far cheaper than incarceration and recidivism - is a smart, cost-effective public safety and economic development strategy.
Citations
[i] Vera Institute of Justice, "Price of Prisons|New York" [Fact Sheet], January 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.vera.org/files/price-of-prisons-new-york-fact-sheet.pdf
[ii] New York City Department of Correction, "NYC DOC at a Glance," October-December, FY2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/about/032812DOC_at_a_Glance_single_page.pdf
[iii] New York Times, "City's Annual Cost Per Inmate is $168,000, Study Finds," August 23, 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/nyregion/citys-annual-cost-per-inmate-is-nearly-168000-study-says.html
[iv] Justice Mapping, "Justice Mapping Center Launches First National Atlas of Criminal Justice Data," October 5, 2010, access November 17, 2013, http://www.justicemapping.org/archive/category/news/
[v] NYC Department of Correction, "NYC DOC at a Glance," October-December, FY2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/about/032812DOC_at_a_Glance_single_page.pdf
[vi] NPR, "'Million Dollar Blocks' Map Incarceration's Costs," October 2, 2012, access November 17, 2013, http://www.npr.org/2012/10/02/162149431/million-dollar-blocks-map-incarcerations-costs
[vii] NYC Independent Budget Office, "New York City by the Numbers - NYC's Jail Population: Who's There and Why?," 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://ibo.nyc.ny.us/cgi-park2/?p=516
[viii] Pew Center on the States, "State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America's Prisons," April 2011, accessed November 17 2013, http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/sentencing_and_corrections/State_Recidivism_Revolving_Door_America_Prisons%20.pdf
[ix] New York City Office of the Mayor, “Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Gibbs and Correction Commissioner Schriro Announce New Jail-Based Community Reentry Program, Part of the State of the City Promise to Further Reduce Recidivism” [Press Release], February 21, 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/071-13/mayor-bloomberg-deputy-mayor-gibbs-correction-commissioner-schriro-new-jail-based
[x] RAND Corporation, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education," 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR200/RR266/RAND_RR266.pdf
[xi] State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, "Testimony, Commissioner Brian Fischer, Assembly Standing Committee on Corrections, Educational and Vocational Programs in Prison," November 29, 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.doccs.ny.gov/Commissioner/Testimony/Educational_Vocational_Programs.pdf
[xii] U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, "A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections," 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/reentry-model.pdf
[xiii] Center for Institutional and Social Change, "Pathways of Possibility: Transforming Education's Role in Reentry" [Conference Report], July 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.reentryeducationnetwork.org/uploads/1/2/5/3/12534585/pathways_conference_report.pdf
[xiv] U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, "A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections," 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/reentry-model.pdf
[xv] RAND Corporation, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education," 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR200/RR266/RAND_RR266.pdf
[xvi] College Initiative (www.collegeinitiative.org) and College and Community Fellowship (www.collegeandcommunity.org), organizations that support people with criminal justice system involvement in pursuing higher education, report that their students have recidivism rates of 3.2% and less than 2%, respectively
[xvii] Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY, "Education and Training Pay," [Infographic], accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.postsecondary.org/archives/Posters/EducationTraining.pdf
Why is Educational Access Critical?
The High Costs of Incarceration and Recidivism for NYC
It costs New York State taxpayers $3.6 billion annually to support the state prison system.[i] New York City taxpayers spend $1.08 billion per year in local corrections.[ii] The annual cost of housing one inmate in the NYC corrections system is almost $168,000, more than that of any other U.S. municipality or state.[iii]
Both the state and city systems are costly to NYC residents in other ways. Many of NYC's incarcerated adults come primarily from a handful of low-income neighborhoods, with over 50% of those who enter prison coming from communities that make up only 18% of NYC's total population.[iv] Neighborhoods with the highest concentration of incarcerated people in the NYC corrections system include Brooklyn's Crown Heights, East New York, and Bedford Stuyvesant; The Bronx's Morrisania/South Bronx; Manhattan's Central Harlem and Morningside Heights; and Queens' Jamaica.[v]
The number of incarcerated people who come from the same neighborhoods is so concentrated in certain areas that the price of incarcerating the residents from a single block can exceed $1 million a year.[vi] The city corrections system also disproportionately impacts people of color, with black inmates making up 57% and Latino inmates making up 33% of the jail population.[vii]
Incarceration is not only costly and inequitable, it is ineffective. The recidivism rate in the NY State system is 39.9%,[viii] with a 42% rate in the NYC corrections systems.[ix] These high incarceration costs and recidivism rates place a high burden on taxpayers, threaten the public safety of our city, and devastate the social and economic well-being of those families and disadvantaged communities that are the most impacted by high concentrations of incarceration.
The Intersection of Criminal Justice and Education
The rates of education among adults in U.S. jails and prisons are lower than those of the general population.[x] Forty-three percent of New York State prisoners have not completed their high school education, [xi] compared to less than 20% of the general U.S. population.[xii] Low-income NYC neighborhoods that are the most adversely affected by mass incarceration are also plagued by low-performing and under-resourced schools.[xiii] Lower educational credentials combined with a lack of job skills and experience make it very difficult for individuals to find life-sustaining employment upon release, placing them at risk for re-offending.[xiv]
Education is a factor in the high rates of incarceration and recidivism. It is also a cost-effective solution to alleviate this public policy challenge. According to a 2013 RAND Corporation meta-analysis of 30 years of research on correctional education in the U.S., every $1 invested in prison education reduces incarceration costs by $4 during the first three years after an inmate is released.[xv] Inmates who participate in education programs are 43% less likely to recidivate than inmates who do not, and post-release employment was 13% higher for those who had participated in education while incarcerated. Formerly incarcerated individuals pursuing higher education and supported by community-based education programs experience reduced levels of re-arrest and re-incarceration.[xvi]
Each level of education completed increases one's yearly earnings.[xvii] Given that the average level of educational attainment is lower for incarcerated populations, their participation in education programs is even more critical to their economic stability upon reentry into their communities.
Educational Access as a Justice Reinvestment Strategy
Education in corrections and reentry is a powerful poverty reduction and justice reinvestment strategy. Our city's low-income neighborhoods with failing schools are under-resourced and in need of expanded educational and support services and programs. Public funds saved from reduced recidivism should go back into these low-income communities grappling with the effects of high rates of incarceration and educational inequity. These resources can be directed towards high school and college dropout prevention and community-wide educational supports and workforce development.
Education - far cheaper than incarceration and recidivism - is a smart, cost-effective public safety and economic development strategy.
Citations
[i] Vera Institute of Justice, "Price of Prisons|New York" [Fact Sheet], January 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.vera.org/files/price-of-prisons-new-york-fact-sheet.pdf
[ii] New York City Department of Correction, "NYC DOC at a Glance," October-December, FY2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/about/032812DOC_at_a_Glance_single_page.pdf
[iii] New York Times, "City's Annual Cost Per Inmate is $168,000, Study Finds," August 23, 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/nyregion/citys-annual-cost-per-inmate-is-nearly-168000-study-says.html
[iv] Justice Mapping, "Justice Mapping Center Launches First National Atlas of Criminal Justice Data," October 5, 2010, access November 17, 2013, http://www.justicemapping.org/archive/category/news/
[v] NYC Department of Correction, "NYC DOC at a Glance," October-December, FY2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.nyc.gov/html/doc/html/about/032812DOC_at_a_Glance_single_page.pdf
[vi] NPR, "'Million Dollar Blocks' Map Incarceration's Costs," October 2, 2012, access November 17, 2013, http://www.npr.org/2012/10/02/162149431/million-dollar-blocks-map-incarcerations-costs
[vii] NYC Independent Budget Office, "New York City by the Numbers - NYC's Jail Population: Who's There and Why?," 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://ibo.nyc.ny.us/cgi-park2/?p=516
[viii] Pew Center on the States, "State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America's Prisons," April 2011, accessed November 17 2013, http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/sentencing_and_corrections/State_Recidivism_Revolving_Door_America_Prisons%20.pdf
[ix] New York City Office of the Mayor, “Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Gibbs and Correction Commissioner Schriro Announce New Jail-Based Community Reentry Program, Part of the State of the City Promise to Further Reduce Recidivism” [Press Release], February 21, 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/071-13/mayor-bloomberg-deputy-mayor-gibbs-correction-commissioner-schriro-new-jail-based
[x] RAND Corporation, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education," 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR200/RR266/RAND_RR266.pdf
[xi] State of New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, "Testimony, Commissioner Brian Fischer, Assembly Standing Committee on Corrections, Educational and Vocational Programs in Prison," November 29, 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.doccs.ny.gov/Commissioner/Testimony/Educational_Vocational_Programs.pdf
[xii] U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, "A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections," 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/reentry-model.pdf
[xiii] Center for Institutional and Social Change, "Pathways of Possibility: Transforming Education's Role in Reentry" [Conference Report], July 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.reentryeducationnetwork.org/uploads/1/2/5/3/12534585/pathways_conference_report.pdf
[xiv] U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, "A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections," 2012, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/reentry-model.pdf
[xv] RAND Corporation, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education," 2013, accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR200/RR266/RAND_RR266.pdf
[xvi] College Initiative (www.collegeinitiative.org) and College and Community Fellowship (www.collegeandcommunity.org), organizations that support people with criminal justice system involvement in pursuing higher education, report that their students have recidivism rates of 3.2% and less than 2%, respectively
[xvii] Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY, "Education and Training Pay," [Infographic], accessed November 17, 2013, http://www.postsecondary.org/archives/Posters/EducationTraining.pdf