The Effect of Correctional Education on Postrelease Employment and Recidivism: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study in the State of Indiana

Research has consistently revealed that released offenders, if unemployed and uneducated, would likely become recidivist offenders. This study was a 5-year follow-up study (2005-2009) of 6,561 offenders who were released from the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) to five metropolitan counties during the calendar year 2005. It examined the effect of education and postrelease employment on recidivism among those released offenders. Results of this study revealed that an offender's education and employment were the most important predictors of postrelease recidivism. In other words, offenders would likely return to the IDOC custody if they were unemployed. This study's results provided evidence that offenders who had not completed high school were likely to become recidivist offenders. This study also revealed that younger offenders were likely to become recidivist offenders after their release from the IDOC custody. In addition, African American offenders, rather than Caucasian offenders, were likely to become recidivist offenders. The recidivism rate among the offenders who had a college education was 31.0%, but the recidivism rate increased to 55.9% among the offenders who had an education below high school.