College Program at Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC)
Problems addressed
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a higher education program for incarcerated individuals in the prison system. The aim is to break the cycle and reduce criminal recidivism.
Participants must have completed basic education or passed alternative assessments, in addition to having passed the university admission exam. The program is offered by a university and operated by a team of teachers and university students, following the standard schedule of the official semester and providing a certificate of course completion. Apart from classes, participants receive academic and vocational mentoring throughout the program.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that participants in the program had a lower rate of recidivism into a new crime than those in the comparison group, who did not receive the intervention [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Blackburn, F. S. (1979). The relationship between recidivism and participation in a community college associate of arts degree program for incarcerated offenders. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Information source