What Is Correctional Education? Why It Matters, and Where It’s Headed 

July 31, 2025

By Jessica Keach

More than nine in ten people incarcerated in federal, state, and private prisons housing state and federal incarcerated individuals have a high school credential or less, and nearly a third lack even that. Even more concerning, 58 percent of people who are incarcerated do not complete any additional education during their time in prison, leaving many people without the skills and education needed to build stable, fulfilling lives upon release. 

This blog post explores

• the definition of correctional education,
• recent research about the effectiveness and economic returns of correctional education,
• emerging Vocational Villages as an innovative learning model, and
• WestEd’s goal of increasing access to education and training for learners who are incarcerated.

What Is Correctional Education? 

Education and training for adults who are incarcerated include a wide range of programming, including adult basic education and literacy, secondary education leading to a high school diploma or equivalency, vocational or career and technical education, postsecondary education, English as a second language instruction, and other programming to support life skills and reentry. Some of these terms are used interchangeably, and inconsistent language can make it difficult for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to understand exactly which types of programs are effective, for whom, and in what context.  

For example, community colleges offer education in correctional settings. They are institutions of higher education, but oftentimes they offer career-oriented education and training. Is this postsecondary education in prison? Is it vocational education? Is it both? 

Dr. Ben Stickle and Dr. Steven Sprick Schuster’s recent research studied the impact of four types of correctional education: adult basic education/literacy, adult secondary education, vocational education, and college education. Their work broadly classifies these types of education as the following: 

• Adult Basic Education/Literacy: Remedial instruction focused on fundamental skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, typically below the secondary school (high school) level. This education is often geared toward learners who need basic literacy or numeracy skills. 
• Adult Secondary Education: Programs aimed at earning a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g., GED preparation and testing). 
• Vocational Education: Job skills training designed to prepare incarcerated individuals for employment in specific trades or industries (e.g., carpentry, welding, culinary arts, automotive repair). These programs are typically nondegree certifications. 
• College Education: Postsecondary academic education offered through associate’s, bachelor’s, or even master’s degree programs, usually delivered in partnership with accredited colleges or universities. 

Fresh Evidence on Effectiveness 

Correctional education works, and it pays off.  

Stickle and Schuster’s meta-analysis, covering 79 studies published between 1980 and 2023, confirms that, while there is variation across types, all four types of education studied reduce recidivism. Among them, college programs have the strongest effect on keeping people out of prison after release.  

But the benefits go beyond community safety. Each type of education studied delivers a positive return on investment, driven largely by the substantial costs of incarceration. According to Stickle and Schuster, investing in vocational education is especially worthwhile due to its strong rate of return of $3.05 for every dollar spent, and it doesn’t have to be an either-or choice—individuals can participate in vocational and academic programs at the same time. 

These findings reinforce the need for flexible, integrated learning models that meet learners where they are. For example, adult education programs can be intentionally designed to combine workforce training, workforce preparation, and adult education and literacy through Integrated Education and Training (IET) models. These evidence-based models support accelerated instruction—rather than traditional sequential coursework—to better prepare adult learners with lower levels of education and literacy for employment. 

In comparison, college education in prison programs include courses intentionally developed for people with a high school education, and these programs have admission policies that require participants to have a secondary credential or use the Ability to Benefit for enrollment. 

This fresh evidence on effectiveness and economic return moves the conversation in the field beyond asking which program type is most effective to a more pressing question: How can we design comprehensive continuums of education, training, and services that 

• address the full range of learning needs of people who are incarcerated—from adult basic education through postsecondary education—and 
• support seamless transitions between programs and services, both during incarceration and after release? 

To do this well, we also need clear, consistent definitions of program types—ones that reflect how people engage with learning in correctional settings. For many, the most effective approach may not fit neatly into a single category. Integrated models like IET, for example, blur traditional lines by combining literacy, workforce skills, and job training in a way that accelerates learning and boosts impact. 

An Emerging Model: Vocational Villages 

An emerging model in the vocational space, Vocational Villages are becoming increasingly common across the United States. In this model, individuals who are incarcerated are housed together in a centralized space where they live, learn, and access support services.  

Established in 2016, Michigan’s pioneering program offers “full days of training and classroom instruction intended to mimic a typical workday outside prison walls.” Participants earn industry-recognized credentials to support employability upon release. Originally at one facility, the program now operates at three sites: Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility, Parnall Correctional Facility, and Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. 

Further south, Ingram State Technical College—Alabama’s sole institution dedicated to offering education and training to people in correctional institutions—partnered with the Alabama Department of Corrections to transition a general population dorm into a Vocational Village Dorm. The college president says that “Vocational Village is a living and learning community inside the correctional facility. All residents of the dorm are educational-driven and share the same goals—program completion, reentry, and job placement.” Ingram State intends to replicate the Vocational Village model across every correctional facility in the state.  

Nevada’s Vocational Village, spearheaded by Hope for Prisoners, includes a “120,000-square-foot vocational training complex” and “features a first-in-the-nation American Job Center co-located within [the] training facility with training activities that provide certifications in: Welding, Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing, Masonry, Electrical, and Warehouse Logistics.” The program focuses on males who are within 90 days to 18 months of release and “will serve 120 men at any given time with programming including: cognitive and life skills training, substance misuse treatment and therapy, higher education enrollment, intensive case management, job readiness training and job placement assistance, leadership development and more.” 

Finally, while not officially established, Wisconsin’s governor is prioritizing prison reform, including “a plan to put about $250 million toward transforming the Waupun Correctional Institution … into a Vocational Village.” 

Implications for the Field and How WestEd Can Help 

While the field lacks a comprehensive taxonomy of correctional education program types, promising models continue to emerge, including Vocational Villages and IET in correctional settings.  

For partners interested in exploring IET in correctional settings, the Integrated Education and Training (IET) in Corrections: A Companion Guide to the IET Design Toolkit offers insights into developing effective IET programs in correctional settings. 

One thing is certain: This work requires strong partnerships—both within and across agencies. Bringing correctional staff and leadership, educators, employers and workforce partners, community-based organizations, and justice-impacted populations to a common table is essential for developing comprehensive continuums of education, training, and support services that lead to job placement, further education and training, and successful reentry. 

As state leaders, policymakers, and practitioners explore these conversations, WestEd is here to help. We provide research-based technical assistance to design evidence-driven programs; conduct needs sensing and labor market analyses to align efforts with the needs of incarcerated learners, employers, and broader communities; and offer deep expertise in research and evaluation to help leaders understand the extent to which their programs are meeting their intended outcomes—and help them pivot if they’re not.  

Connect With Us 

Are you attending the Correctional Education Association International Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, August 10–13? WestEd staff will be there, and we welcome the opportunity to connect:  

• Jessica Keach, Manager of Research and Policy at WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center  
• Meghan McBride, Director of Adult Education Projects at WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility 
• Ann Edwards, Senior Director of Mathematics Education at WestEd 
• Trevor Fronius, Director of Justice and Prevention at WestEd 

If you’re not attending the conference, we’d still love to hear from you. Contact us to learn how we can support your efforts to expand access to correctional education. 

Jessica Keach is a Manager of Research and Policy at WestEd, where she leads applied research, program evaluation, and technical assistance focused on adult and workforce education, substance misuse, and justice reform. She currently directs the evaluation of Connecticut’s Vocational Village program, helping to shape evidence-informed corrections education policy and practice.