SUMMATI
THE
N WEEKLY
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This Community Newspaper is a weekly publication of Escambia / Santa Rosa Bar Association
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 14, No. 45
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November 19, 2014
1 Section, 8 Pages
Incarceration Education or Captive Learners By Josh Newby
Currently, the Florida Department of Corrections houses more than 100,000 inmates in 56 state prisons. These inmates range in age, race and criminal history. All this punitive action is not cheap, either, as it costs the government about $30,000 per year to care for just one inmate. Once upon a time, in the early 1980s, the United States had the 21st highest percentage of its population in prison among industrialized nations. Today, we are first. Though many factors are to blame for the nation’s high incarceration rate, it cannot be ignored that about 70 percent of criminals enter prison without a high school diploma or GED, due mainly to high behavior-related dropout rates. Many individuals will reenter the correctional system within years of being released, due to nearly nonexistent job and social reentry opportunities. In efforts to cut down on recidivism, focus on inmates being productive, employable members of society, and thereby reduce costs, the DOC has decided to be tough on crime in a new, inventive way, by offering students a quality, career-focused education while they fulfill their sentence. By earning a diploma during their time in prison, inmates are not only better behaved and more occupied during their incarcerated time, but are also more able to attend college or find meaningful work afterward. If prisoners do not receive accredited education during their time of incarceration, however, the inmate is about twice as likely to be re-incarcerated within three years. Without what is considered the bare minimum requirement for job selection, former prisoners often find it difficult to not return to a life of crime. Pensacola-based Smart Horizons Career Online Education is a private online school district, the first in Florida, that was contracted to develop an accredited career-focused online education program for the state’s inmates following 2011 instruction from the Florida Legislature. The instruction charged the DOC to issue a request for proposal to establish a pilot online diploma program to serve up to 400 inmates. The state recently expanded the existing online high school degree program from eight to 15 facilities across the state. “Previously, prisoners were only able to earn a GED through longstanding education programs provided by the department,” said Dr. John Lewis, chief of education for the DOC’s Office of Re-Entry. “While there is no legal or technical difference between a GED and a diploma, but there is a perceptual difference.” After a prisoner is integrated into the correctional system, he or she is given a basic educational assessment
test. Some individuals need help with the most elementary principles of reading and arithmetic, while other individuals can read, write and more on a 10th or 11th grade level. Those who are more advanced are given the opportunity to take the GED test and early their diploma in that way. Others, however, are offered Smart Horizons’ career-focused education program, completely paid for by the Florida Legislature. “Our work with Smart Horizon Career Online Education on this effort is a tangible expression of our commitment to the Florida Department of Correction’s vision of changing lives to ensure a safer Florida,” said Lewis. “Earning a high school diploma is a very important event in people’s lives and this is especially so for inmates who have traditionally faced educational challenges.” The company also offers prisoners certifications in childhood education, office management, transportation services, food service, healthcare and more, so that inmates will be equipped to enter growing and in-demand job fields upon release. The ultimate goal is to keep offenders from returning to prison. “Our mission at Smart Horizon’s Career Online Education is to prepare students for entrance into the workplace by delivering quality, supportive, and career-based online education,” said Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO and superintendent of the Smart Horizons district. “I can think of no better partner than the Florida Department of Corrections and their students for us to fulfill this mission. We couldn’t be more pleased to see the success and expansion of our program together as we work to help change the lives of these inmates.” The online school is conducted differently than traditional high school, with participants declaring their major first and working through the applicable 18 credits toward that end goal. “These individuals have an end goal in mind, and they are mindful of that goal,” said Liebman. “We want to give them something different than what failed them in the past, while rehabilitating them as people as well. When people accomplish something, they feel better about themselves.” A prisoner can be neither too young nor too old to participate in the program, and they do so at his or her own pace. Currently, about 156 incarcerated students are enrolled in the Career Online High School. Once all 15 sites are up and running, the program will have the capacity to serve up to 336 participants at any one time, according to Lewis. Participation in the program is voluntary, but its popularity has increased since beginning. “Since its inception in 2012, around 570 inmates have participated in the program,” said Lewis. “Of
those, around 470 earned high school credits, and over 230 earned a high school diploma.” The program’s retention rates are also quite admirable, exceeding 90 percent. “Of course, we do have somewhat of a captive audience,” conceded Lieman. Eventually, Lewis would like to see the DOC or another state agency offer prisoners who obtain their diploma help with job or college placement once they leave prison. He also believes that Florida’s program could serve as a model for other states. Lieman also believes that the Florida system could serve as a model for other states, though he admitted that there are a number of
UWF named 2015 Best for Vets College by Military Times The University of West Florida was recently ranked No. 35 out of the Top 100 Four-Year Colleges in the “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” list by Military Times. The list is developed using a detailed questionnaire with more than 100 questions that analyze each school’s complete offerings for veterans. It serves as a tool for service men and women to determine the school and degree programs that will most effectively benefit them. The rankings factor in service member enrollment, percentage of tuition covered by the GI Bill and availability of specific programs to help service members. Additionally, data compiled by the U.S. Education Department, including academic success measures, is con-
sidered. The extensive evaluation process also factors in statistics commonly used to track student success and academic quality, including student loan default rates, retention rates, graduation rates and student-faculty ratio. To see the complete “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” list, visit www.militarytimes.com. “We are certainly excited to continue being recognized as an institution that is serious about serving our veteran students and treating them with the deserved respect they have earned – and we do so with incredible passion,” said Marc Churchwell, director of the UWF Military and Veterans Resource Center. “What is also important to note with this
recognition is the larger perspective of the growing support for veteran students at campuses nationwide. Even though we are all rank ordered, it should not be viewed as a competition. We are doing the most we can with the resources available.” The UWF Military and Veterans Resource Center assists military and veteran students as they transition from a military environment to campus life. The center offers academic advising, tutoring, counseling and assistance with GI Bill education benefits and disability accommodations, in addition to other services. For additional information about UWF’s support for military and veteran students, visit the MVRC website, uwf.edu/militaryveterans.
roadblocks in the way. “Obviously with a prison, the first priority is security,” said Lieman. “The internet connection has to be very secure, and in some states, inmates are not even allowed on the internet. We need to get these correctional facilities more flexible resources so that students can take receive education offline. It needs to be more transportable and right now it’s not. The students are essentially confined to the computer lab.” The new contract for the expanded program took effect on Sept. 20 and the next Florida Department of Corrections facility to start using Career Online High School will be Everglades Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County, Fla. Then,
six other institutions will be added to the program over the next few months to bring the total number of facilities in the FDOC system offering Career Online High School to 15. At the end of the day, Lieman says that this program is all about collective impact—impact on an inmate’s knowledge base, workforce viability, emotional and mental states, and hopes for the future. “When I go to graduations across the state, I’ll talk with these prisoners about their experience,” said Lieman. “One participant told me that he kept a picture of his daughter near his computer keyboard for inspiration. That’s really what it’s all about.”