GED Prep Program Reducing Recidivism and Inmate Education Questions
ANSWER
- Quality of Programs:
- Education First: This program has a success rate of 50 percent in helping inmates pass the high-school equivalency examination. While this success rate is lower than that of the GED Prep program, it still holds the potential to significantly improve the education level of participating inmates.
- GED Prep: This program has a higher success rate of 80 percent in helping inmates pass the high-school equivalency examination. The higher success rate suggests that the program might have more effective teaching methods and resources.
- Goals and Objectives: Both programs share the goal of increasing the education credentials of inmates, which is correlated with reduced reoffending rates. The primary objective of both programs is to enable inmates to pass the high-school equivalency examination. Achieving this objective would potentially lead to a reduction in the likelihood of reoffending upon release.
- Policies’ Design:
- Education First: This program has a lower upfront cost of $500 per pupil, making it more cost-effective initially. However, it has a lower success rate compared to GED Prep, which might affect its long-term effectiveness in reducing reoffending.
- GED Prep: This program has a higher upfront cost of $5000 per pupil, making it significantly more expensive. However, its higher success rate suggests that the investment might be justified by the potential for better outcomes in terms of reducing reoffending.
Given the information provided, we can approach the decision by considering the potential cost savings from reduced reoffending rates and the upfront program costs:
- Cost Considerations:
- If we assume that an inmate without a high-school degree has an 80 percent chance of reoffending (costing $32,000 per year in incarceration), the potential cost savings from reducing reoffending by 1 percent would be $320.
- For Education First, with a success rate of 50 percent, the potential cost savings per inmate would be $320 * (80% – 50%) = $960.
- For GED Prep, with a success rate of 80 percent, the potential cost savings per inmate would be $320 * (80% – 80%) = $0.
- Logical Justification: Considering the potential cost savings, the Education First program appears to have a more favorable cost-benefit ratio. While GED Prep has a higher success rate, the significantly higher upfront cost might offset the potential cost savings from reduced reoffending. Education First, with its lower upfront cost and the potential to achieve reasonable success, seems to be a more economically feasible option given the budget constraints of the DOC.
In conclusion, based on the analysis of quality, goals, objectives, policies’ design, and cost considerations, the Education First program should be adopted by the Department of Corrections. This program provides a reasonable chance of improving inmates’ education credentials and potentially reducing reoffending rates while being more cost-effective within the DOC’s limited budget.
QUESTION
Description
The Department of Corrections (DOC) has identified the lack of education credentials as a key factor in reoffending. In other words, inmates with a high school diploma are less likely to reoffend upon release as compared to inmates without a high school diploma. On the average, 80 percent of the inmates without a high-school degree reoffend as compared to 40 percent of inmates with a degree.
Programmers at DOC have identified two model programs:
The first program is called Education First; the outcome of the program is passing the high-school equivalency examination. This program has undergone extensive outcome evaluations, and the success rate is figured to be 50 percent, which means that 50 percent of the inmates are successful in passing the high-school equivalency examination.
The second program is General Education Development Preparatory program (GED Prep). The outcome of this program is also passing the high-school equivalency examination. The success rate of this program is identified as 80 percent, which means that 80 percent of the inmates that take this program are successful in passing the high-school equivalency examination.
- The first program, Education First, costs $500 per pupil, and the second program, GED Prep, costs $5000 per pupil. Currently, the cost of incarceration is $32,000 per year.
- Since the DOC has experienced decreasing budgets over the past 20 years, cost of programs is a very real concern.
Which of the two—Education First or the GED Prep program should be adopted? Why? Analyze the scenario and the programs and provide a logical justification for your answer considering:
The quality of the programs
The goal(s) and objective(s) of the programs
The policies’ design
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