Off Some Room For People To Breathing Together Analysis

Davis, Simone Weil, and Bruce Michaels. "Ripping off some Room for People to "Breathe Together": Peer-To-Peer Education in Prison." Social Justice, vol. 42, no. 2, 05 Dec. 2015, pp. 146-158. Academic Search Complete, ezproxy.library.csulb.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=115259496&site=ehost-live.
In "Ripping off some Room for People to "Breathe Together" by Simone Weil Davis and Michaels Bruce argue over the importance of education in prisons. They convey their argument by providing brief stories of prisoners that describe how education has helped them throughout their sentence. In addition, they mention that educational programs in prisons do not necessarily need to focus on math and science or the standard subjects taught in school. Instead, educational programs such as design and outreach have been put in place and have shown to tremendously benefit prisoners. In contrast Davis and Bruce bring up a downfall that has occurred

when trying to provide education to prisoners. That downfall consists of not trained academic teachers and not teaching at the college level. As a result, prisoners are not receiving the adequate education that they need, making it difficult to see improvements. Davis and Bruce mention the obstacles that comes with providing education to prisoners. Meanwhile, they also advocate for educational programs in prisons not only because they have witnessed its progress but because it has helped decrease recidivism and transform the lives of many prisoners.
This source will help me provide examples of the many different programs that have been created to educate prisoners. In other words, allowing me to emphasize that education does not only mean teaching school subjects, but educating prisoners about career fields or things that interest them. Also, the brief stories of prisoners found in the journal will help me persuade and inform my audience on how and why educational program are beneficial to prisoners. Lastly, this journal will help me form counterarguments, where I can reference the pros and cons of education in prisons.
Esperian, John H. "The Effect of Prison Education Programs on Recidivism." Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 61, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 316-334. Academic Search Complete, ezproxy.library.csulb.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=60011248&site=ehost-live.
In "The Effect of Prison Education Programs on Recidivism" by John H. Esperian argues it is crucial to provide education to prisoners because it is a way of rehabilitating them and it can reduce prison cost. Esperian starts off his argument by referencing the “The Great Law” of 1682 which emphasized “hard labor in the house of correction as punishment for most crimes” (4). He strategically draws emphasis to this law to state that we live in a new era where the best way to reform someone is by offering them education. He strengthens this argument by creating a “before” and “after” picture where readers see the improvement prisoners have made with the help of an educational program. As well as, testimonials of people who are involved in educating prisoners. On the other hand, he mentions that with the establishment of an educational program it can decrease the cost of long term housing for inmates, because inmates will be coming out sooner than their sentence. In all, throughout his journal he discusses why educational programs should be established in prisons for the beneficiary of the state and prisoners.
This source is going to help me provide reasoning and examples to support my argument on why the correction system should provide prisoners with education. I can use the survey and definitions that the author uses throughout his journal to strengthen my examples. Also, the author provides interviews with people who work in the correctional system. This will help me provide ethos in my paper.
Harney, Suzy, and Janney Ferrol-Hawley. "Examining Incarceration / Recidivism and Education in the United States Virgin Islands Prison System." Journal of Global Intelligence & Policy, vol. 5, no. 9, Dec. 2012, pp. 1-10. Academic Search Complete,
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In "Examining Incarceration / Recidivism and Education in the United States Virgin Islands Prison System” by Suzy Harney and Ferrol-Hawley Janney provide statistics on recidivism and draws conclusions as to why education in prisons is necessary.

Data from 2007 through 2009 on prisons such as Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex in St. Thomas and Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility in St. Criox provide information on recidivism before and after educational programs were established. This information points out that recidivism was occurring at high rate but after educational programs were established recidivism rates decreased. The data also compares recidivism between uneducated and educated prisoners. Based on this data, recidivism is lower in groups of prisoners who have a high education while it is higher in groups of prisoners with little to no education. Harney and Janney effectively integrate data throughout the journal to reveal how effective and crucial education is in

prisons.
This source will be useful in my research paper because it provides direct data from prisons. This data will help provide actual numbers, to convince my readers why education is important in prisons. Although there is few data on education, this source provides an abundant amount of data on recidivism. Therefore, I will use this information to help me create counterarguments. For example, high numbers of recidivism may be due to prisoners having little to no education. These numbers can decrease by offering educational programs that could eventually improve the lives of prisoners and prevent them from committing any more offense.
Jovanic, Goran. "The Role of Education in the Treatment of Offenders." Support for Learning, vol. 26, no. 2, May 2011, pp. 79-82. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1111/j.1467-9604.2011.01481.x.
In "The Role of Education in the Treatment of Offenders” by Goran Jovanic explains the benefits of offering education to prisoners. He states, “training convicted prisoners [with education can help them] earn an honest living in the community.” By stating this Jovanic argues that education reforms prisoners to a person that can contribute to society instead of harming it. For example, at Rikers Island prison, educational programs have been developed to help dangerous and violent prisoners improve their behavior by involving useful learning techniques. This has not only helped the prisoner, but it has helped to lower prison expenses, saving taxpayers money. As well as it has helped reduce the constant recurrences of recidivism. In conclusion, Jovanic throughout his journal argues why education programs are critical and provides information on how effective it has been in prisons.
This source will help me support my argument on why prisons should offer some type of education to their prisoners. I will be able to provide examples of prisons programs that have already taken the initiative to include educational programs in their prisons. Besides examples, I will be able to provide data to effectively support my argument, helping me to develop credibility throughout my paper.
Lewen, Jody. "Prison Higher Education and Social Transformation." St. Louis University Public Law Review, vol. 33, no. 2, Jan. 2014, pp. 353-361 Academic Search Complete, ezproxy.library.csulb.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=97082257&site=ehost-live.
In "Prison Higher Education and Social Transformation” by Jody Lewen focuses on primarily discussing the social inequality in the prison system. Many Americans believe that prisons are supposed to “teach people a lesson” and that people in prison deserve to suffer. Lewen makes an effort to change these beliefs when he provides insight to the environment of a prison. He states that prisons are filled with physical and psychological suffering. This type of environment does not do any good to prisoners. A way to change this type of environment is by providing higher education. This can eventually transform the lives of many prisoners and reduce incarceration rates. On the other hand, Lewen recounts his story of being a volunteer and director for the Prison University Project at San Quentin prison in 1999. By sharing this story, he creates awareness and dialogue over criminal justice and higher education issues. In conclusion, Lewen not only informs his readers over the educational program at San Quentin, but he also explains how social inequality is interconnected with the higher education issues.
This source will help me provide reasoning as to why these programs are important. I will use the explanations Lewen provides to help me form several examples in which I can use to support my argument on why education in prisons is necessary.
Vacca, James S. "Educated Prisoners Are Less Likely to Return to Prison." Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 55, no. 4, Dec. 2004, pp. 297-305. Academic Search Complete, ezproxy.library.csulb.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=15420375&site=ehost-live.
In "Educated Prisoners Are Less Likely to Return to Prison” by James S. Vacca argues throughout his article on how education is connected to incarceration rates and recidivism. In the beginning of his journal he mentions that based on the studies that have been done, many prisoners do not have employable skills, are dropouts, and have poor writing skills. The studies also drew a connection between the level of education prisoners have received and type of offenses they have committed. In other words, stating that prisoners with little education committed serious crimes. Due to the lack of education many of them are most likely to reoffend. Offering education to prisoners can help “teach them to read effectively but also provide them with the necessary reinforcement that promote a positive transition to society when they are released” (1). Eventually, this will reduce recidivism rates and create a safer environment for prisoners and officers to be in. In addition, when prisoners come out of prison they will no longer be an obstacle to society but a tool. In all, education in prisons is the primary tool that could lead to lower incarceration and recidivism rates.
This source will help provide supporting evidence throughout my essay. I will be able to go into detail when talking about prisoners. For instance, mentioning how education can change the way prisoners think, helping them to think before they act. I will also be able to create counterarguments with the challenges Vacca states that can develop when trying to employ education in prisons.