Never been to prison, thank goodness for that. But this educational infographic caught my eye none-the-less. It turns out that the United States is becoming a literal “prison planet,” housing nearly 1 quarter of the world’s prison population. Those numbers are astounding!
In fact, 1 in 31 U.S. adults is either locked up or on parole and approximately 40 percent of those released from prison will end up back in the slammer within 10 years. And given that it costs over 30,000 dollars to house a prisoner for a year, the money quickly adds up!
And being locked up isn’t just for adults. Many juveniles in the United States also end up in juvenile detention centers. Sadly, only about 15 percent of those who end up in “juvey” will end up earning either a high school diploma or GED.
And that is really depressing because education is one of the biggest things that can deter people from ending up in jail or juvenile attention. Providing education while in prison is also a great way to decrease the likelihood of re-incarceration. In fact, in New York State, 29 percent of prisoners who didn’t take college classes while locked up ended up back in jail within 3 years. Only 7 percent of those who took college classes, however, ended up back in jail.
Some people might balk at the idea of paying for a prisoner’s education, however, one study found that in the state of Washington, every dollar spent on educating prisoners actually saved 12 dollars in future costs!
So read through this data filled infographic by Knewton to learn more about how education can help reduce costs and stresses caused by prison!
