Live Research Proposal

Running Head: A COMPARISON BETWEEN CALIFORNIA AND GEORGIA

A Comparison between California and Georgia in County-Level Efforts to Address the Undereducated Inmate Population

John Stuart Batchelder

University of North Georgia

A Comparison between California and Georgia in County-Level efforts to Address the Undereducated Inmate Population

Introduction

When viewed in a historical context, there is consistent linkage between criminal offending and lowered educational levels among the general population of incarcerated individuals. Evidence of this is demonstrated by a disproportionate representation of under-educated persons among jail and prison inmates. Correctional investigators continue to search for remedies that will ameliorate this condition. Meanwhile, educators have responded to the problem by instituting programs aimed at providing high-school level knowledge and skills for jail inmates. Still, the need remains for conclusive research that demonstrates a specific relationship concerning factors that may help predict programmatic success.

Literature Review

(Insert Lit Review Here)

Methodology

The purpose of this study is to assist administrators in achieving GED success for under-educated jail inmates by comparing methods and techniques utilized by a state-of-the-art County-level Office of Education and one located in a modern, but rural facility. Data will be taken from the scholastic records of Lumpkin County, Georgia, inmates who have participated in GED training, and the Riverside County, California inmates and have tested on the standardized instruments. The Georgia program, run by the Lumpkin County Literacy Coalition is a cooperative operated by Lanier Technical College. The California Program, is run by the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE). Additionally, the Sheriff’s records will be accessed by the officer in charge of the facilities who will make use of randomly assigned identification numbers so that the research team will not have access to the inmate’s identities during data entry.

The specific subjects of this study are those adults in the General Educational Development (GED) Program who were incarcerated at both County Jails at the time of their tutoring and testing. The variable of principal concern is the standardized instruments “Test of Adult Basic Education” (TABE) and Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS);

The specific independent variables (factors) are TABE pre-test score, CASAS pretest scores, age, gender, race/ethnicity, highest year school completed, length of tutoring, incarceration length, offense type, number of prior convictions, type of prior convictions, and special population needs. Attempts to gain information on other factors will assist in the comprehensiveness of the data, but may not be available: low income / displaced homemaker / single parent / learning disabled / physically disabled / homeless / and family violence victim.

The demographic factors that are typically associated with educational achievement will be analyzed among this group of jail inmates to determine what factors are associated with achievement on the TABE and CASAS, what factors are associated with GED attainment, and if the successful attainment of a GED certificate is related to whether or not an inmate engages in short-term recidivism. Multiple Regression will be used to determine the effects on the Dependent Variables.

Research Questions: The following research questions will be investigated:

1. Is there a statistically significant relationship between the standardized achievement scores among two geographic locations of jail inmates who are receiving high school tutoring in preparation for GED certification through the County-Level programs?

2. What specific factors are associated with completion of the GED certificate acknowledging attainment of skills and knowledge associated with high-school level functioning?

3. What is the relationship between GED certificate attainment and recidivism among inmates in the two locations?

Hypotheses

The research hypotheses are as follows:

H₁ -- There will be a statistically significant relationship between the specific geographic locations on scores of the standardized testing instruments: the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) and the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS).

H₂ -- There will be a statistically significant relationship between the specific geographic locations GED certification.

H₃ -– Inmates who attain GED certification while incarcerated will be significantly less likely to engage in short-term recidivism than their under-educated counterparts.

Significance of the Study

The findings from this research will assist GED program administrators in serving the specific needs of their incarcerated enrollees in attaining GED success, which is defined by not only achieving certification, but using their elevated knowledge and skills to avoid engaging in the at-risk behavior that so commonly leads to recidivism and re-incarceration among this population. A comparison between the programs will allow program directors to predict the candidates most likely to succeed in GED course work, and may help assist offenders in societal reintegration.

Limitations of the study

The specific subjects of this study are those adults in the General Educational Development (GED) Program who were incarcerated at each facility at the time of their tutoring and testing. The populations to which it is possible to generalize these findings may be limited.

The research is conducted at:

Locations:

Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility

1627 S Hargrave St

Banning, CA 92220

Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office

385 E Main St

Dahlonega, GA 30533

Author information

Principal Author: Dr. John Stuart Batchelder

116 Downtown Office Building

Dahlonega, GA 30597

706-531-6399

John Stuart Batchelder is a Professor of Criminal Justice at University of North Georgia who specializes in statistical analysis, corrections, and Juvenile Justice. He has experience researching prison education programs in the Midwest and the South. The findings from these studies have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journal articles.

John Stuart Batchelder

Stu.batchelder@ung.edu

Department of Criminal Justice

309 Hansford Hall

University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, GA 30597

706-531-6399

End date for proposed activities: 1 May 2021

Study Proposal: A Comparison between California and Georgia in County-Level Efforts to Address the Undereducated Inmate Population