Study

This report advances the research of the existing published literature on the 2014 PIAAC Prison Survey by exploring complex interactions and relationships, that as of yet, have not been evaluated.¹ With the almost nonexistent literature measuring the effect of correctional education on literacy and numeracy skills for incarcerated populations, this report is a novel approach of understanding how higher education and/or job training can equip incarcerated adults for life beyond the barriers of incarceration.

Given the dearth of data on a representative U.S. prison population and increased interest in college-in-prison programs and job training to those in prison, this evaluation looks at the wide range of skills for a representative sample of individuals in U.S. federal and state prisons to identify how they compare to skills of the general public. We also take a closer look at the skills for those close to reentry (fewer than two years) compared with other incarcerated individuals and with the general public. From there, we evaluate participation and completion patterns of incarcerated adults in postsecondary education and job training programs; identify the interest and participation in, availability of, and barriers to participating in postsecondary education and/or job training programs; and gather inferences on incarcerated adults’ skill level in relation to participating in and/or completing these correctional programs. To address these inquiries, we asked a series of research questions.

A key outcome for successful reentry is post-release employment. However, post-release employment has not been heavily explored in the literature on reentry. Due to limitations of data on incarcerated populations, we cannot answer the employment question directly, but this report seeks to understand two factors that are foundational to gainful employment: literacy and numeracy skills. These are key cognitive and workplace skills necessary for individuals to successfully obtain employment in the 21st century.² The report evaluates how well-equipped incarcerated adults are to reintegrate into society and identifies effective rehabilitative programming to assist with the reentry and employment process. This report also adds to the conversation about outcomes of those who were enrolled in postsecondary education at the time of the survey.

We use the 2012/2014 U.S. Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) National Household Survey and Prison Survey to answer the research questions. Due to the rigorous survey methods, the results are representative of the U.S. population and can be generalized to the general public and incarcerated adults within federal and state prisons. Also, due to the rigorous survey methods and sampling weights used in the analysis, the results of the skills of incarcerated adults can be compared with the skills of the general public.³ For additional information on the data source, see Appendix A.

Just under 10,000 individuals (9,989) participated in the PIAAC Household and Prison Surveys. Of those participants, 8,670 respondents consisted of the household sample,⁴ also referred to in this report as the general public (16–74 years), and 1,319 respondents⁵ consisted of incarcerated adults (18–74 years). The sample of incarcerated adults were surveyed from 98 federal and state prisons (80 male-only or co-ed prisons and 18 female-only prisons). In order to make gender comparisons, the female-only prisons were oversampled.⁶

Both the U.S. PIAAC Household and Prison Surveys collected data on the outcomes of literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology rich-environments. Both surveys have similar variables, but the Prison Survey has additional background variables about various prison activities.⁷ The outcomes of focus for this report are literacy⁸ and numeracy skills.⁹ The literacy assessment evaluates a range of skills from decoding written words and sentences to the comprehension, interpretation, and evaluation of complex text. However, the literacy domain does not assess the ability to write. The numeracy domain includes managing a situation or problem solving in a real context, by responding to mathematical content, information, and ideas.¹⁰ For more information on the variables and methodology, see Appendix A.