Ten community colleges and two independent universities provide courses
for over 11,000 Illinois state prison inmates at an annual cost of nearly $15 million.
The same programs save Illinois $97 million per year.
A 1997 Illinois Department of Corrections study notes: "Postsecondary vocational education preparation of
the inmate population for work" reduces recidivism substantially for all levels of subsets within the variables
analyzed. This group's rate of recidivism at 13.1% is considerably less than that of the general prison population
(39.2%.)"
According to the same study, reducing recidivism creates approximately $97 million in annual cost savings.
Vocational and occupational education gives the inmate an alternative to a life of crime.
This helps protect the public. It enhances public safety.
Elimination of college programs in Illinois prisons would threaten public safety and increase the cost of
the state's prison system. The ranks of Illinois college graduates would be diminished by nearly 2,000 each year.
Over 240 people will lose full-time employment. Wardens will lose a significant number of "time slots" within the
prisons. College classes are a way for wardens to create an orderly plan of activity for the prisoners.
Prisoners earn "good time" by attending class. "Good time" contributes to early release.
Early release saves the State money.
The opportunity to attend college provides an incentive for inmates to maintain good conduct within the prison.
Guards support the college programs because their job of creating an orderly environment within the prison is made
more manageable by the existence of college level programs.
Elimination of college level programs will negatively affect efforts by the Illinois Workforce Investment
Board to create a smooth employment transition for released prisoners.
Colleges and universities were not given adequate time to close down their programs in an orderly fashion.
Four must deal with tenured faculty in their programs. None was given opportunity to provide the legally required
60-day notice to affected employees. Sudden discontinuation of the inmate programs creates a less-than-probable
setting for future DOC/college partnerships.
There are cost-saving alternatives:
Offer high level DOC officers early retirement incentives
Eliminate only inmate baccalaureate-level courses
Keep vocational courses and programs
Colleges reduce the vocational program by 20 percent
Eliminate summer programs
Ask Department of Corrections to identify other savings
For information on the shutdown of higher education programs at Illinois correctional facilities, click
here or call ICCTA at 1-800-454-2282.
Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax) ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org
