Mandatory Versus Voluntary Prison Education and Academic Achievement

Abstract

A retrospective study was designed using 1990-1991 educational records from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. The sample consisted of 100% of the participants enrolled in the prison literacy program. The study was designed to test the following hypothesis: An association does exist between the method of participation (mandatory or voluntary) in a prison literacy program and academic achievement. The independent variables of sex, race, age, education level, IQ, and type of participant (mandatory or voluntary) were controlled. Adjusted odds ratios were used to show the relationship between the independent variables and voluntary participation. Multiple logistic regression was used as the model-building procedure to calculate the odds ratio along with the 95% confidence interval for the association between voluntary participation and academic achievement in a prison literacy program. Results failed to indicate significant differences in academic achievement when participants in the program were there voluntarily or because of official mandates. The findings of this study support mandatory literacy programs in the prison system.