Goal and Objectives

This instructional guide was developed specifically for providers of education to incarcerated youth and adults (16–24), whether administrative or instructional, full– or part–time, paid or volunteer. It was designed based on suggestions of such providers to address specific problems of incarcerated youth and those who are helping them. The relevance of the information to specific settings will vary somewhat, and users of this document are encouraged to adopt and adapt sections of the manual to fill their needs.

Generally, however, all users should benefit from the document’s overall goal and objectives. Namely, this guide offers support, background information, and positive strategies for education providers within county or municipal correctional facilities. With this knowledge, education providers will be able to:

• Apply various models of learning and experiences of educational programming to their own setting and population.
• Understand the relationships between and among inmates, corrections officers, administrators, and themselves, and how these relationships impact communication, security, and program delivery.
• Recognize what incarcerated youth need and how instructors and administrators can fulfill those needs.
• Deliver instruction using lessons appropriate for incarcerated youth and consistent with timeframes and mandates.
• Seek out and utilize various types of resources for information and guidance.