Education is a powerful thing: A good education opens up the door for a wide array of opportunities and possibilities that are often otherwise unavailable. From job offers to opportunities to travel to simply meeting new people, everyone benefits from receiving an education. Now, more and more studies are showing the way that another demographic is also able to thrive on the benefits of a good education: Namely, prison inmates. While the majority of individuals who are incarcerated lack higher education, and many lack a high school diploma, more and more inmates are leaving prison with degrees, diplomas, or some sort of educational training. For inmates who receive an education during the course of their incarceration period, the results are often nothing short of amazing. Inmates who receive an education or some sort of job training in prison tout a heightened sense of worth, accomplishment, and responsibility. Furthermore, earning some sort of degree or diploma while in prison reduces the rate at which prisoners become reincarcerated drastically. In fact, according to the National Institute of Justice, prison-based education is the single most effective tool for lowering recidivism (the rate at which incarcerated individuals return to prison). No matter where you are in life, participating in educational programs can have a drastic impact.
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