Abstract
The qualitative case study comparison of seven community-based post-secondary correctional education (CBPSCE) programs within the United States identified specific program characteristics and practices that may contribute to the reduction of criminal behavior. Participants selected were school administrators, program directors, and faculty. These subject matter experts were interviewed regarding their insight and experience in post-secondary correctional education offered within the community. The study comparison yielded five themes: a) culture, b) role of faculty and school administrators, c) instructional strategies and curricula, d) student support and academic services, and e) reentry services. Each theme influenced the successful matriculation, retention, and transition back into society for those who have left prison and are entering into post-secondary degree programs. From these findings, three tiered guidelines were created to assist CBPSCE directors and staff in operating successful programs that reduce the barriers that contribute to criminal behavior. The findings from this research indicated that success was not determined by a student’s decision to discontinue crime; success was found when students develop the life and academic skills needed to change their lives to break cycles of addiction and crime. Correctional education in the community is more about removing the barriers that men and women face upon return that tends to tempt them back into a criminal lifestyle. Nurturing the process for change through acceptance and re-identification is academic rehabilitation, the final stage of rehabilitation and the beginning steps towards successful reintegration.|Keywords: matriculation, correctional education, re-identification, rehabilitation