Incarcerated women: I. A comparison of college and noncollege inmates

Abstract

Whether inmates who participate in college programs have better postrelease outcomes than those who do not participate is controversial, with opponents of college prison programs suggesting that college programs' successes are due to selectivity. 150 women in a state prison, including 61 women in a college program and 89 women sampled from the general population, were compared. Only 7 of 34 variables significantly differentiated the two groups. The percentage of women who had used marijuana, rates of mothers' arrests, length of time served, rates of physical abuse, participation in vocational programs, and percent incarcerated for violent offences were higher among the women in the college program, who were more likely to be first-time offenders.