Goals of this Study

Given that education appears to enjoy a regular place within prison programming, why study it? The purpose of conducting this study was to: 1) describe the specific school models in five prisons in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 2) determine the reasons for participation in prison schooling, 3) determine literacy-related goals which students are setting for their return to the community, and 4) determine factors which students believe will support or impede the achievement of these goals upon release.

Another goal of this study was to implement and test a model at Brandon Correctional Institution which would involve a number of volunteer tutors. The April 1996 Headingley riot in Manitoba aborted that part of the research. The instability of the prison population in Manitoba and concerns for prisoner safety did not allow for that to occur.

Research Methods and Questions

Information for this report was gathered through the following methods: 1) review of existing literature, 2) one on one interviews with five prison teachers, 3) informal observation of prison classrooms, 4) five focus group sessions with 57 students, and 5) individual interviews with 48 students in prison schools. Two of the five schools were located in provincial prisons⁽¹⁾ and three were in federal prisons.⁽²⁾ All students were active in schooling at the time of the study.

The first task in the research project was to obtain the consent of prison administrators to proceed with the research within their institutions. Following approval from prison authorities, teachers within each of the five prisons were contacted in regards to the purpose and methodology of the research. An information sheet was sent to teachers who, in turn, informed students about this research. Teachers informed students that they would be eligible for participation if their release was likely to occur prior to the spring of 1998.

While some students were informed about the research by teachers prior to the arrival of the researcher, all students who were interested in participating in the research attended an information session conducted by the researcher. Following the information session, each student made a decision about participating. Fifty-seven individuals decided to continue and participated in a focus group in their institution. Following the focus group, individuals were given a choice to continue with one-on-one interviews. Forty-eight students completed the interview.

A focus group, which ranged in size from nine to 14 participants, was held within each prison school. Students in each of these five groups were initially asked to discuss the reasons for their participation in the prison school program. Secondly, each group was asked for the kinds of school-related goals they have for when they will be released. Finally, students were asked: "What factors will influence the success of achieving literacy-related goals when you are released?"

After listing all of the factors on the chalkboard/whiteboard, factors were grouped for similarity (ie: alcohol counselling and alcohol treatment were combined). There were approximately ten factors identified per focus group. Each person was given three "stick-on notes" and asked to place them adjacent to the three factors they believed would be most influential to their success.

In addition to providing important information about success upon release, the Focus Groups provided a starting point for each of the students to consider within a group context the reason for their participation in school. Focus groups also helped prisoners begin to prepare for their individual interviews by thinking as a group about the literacy-related goals which they set for their release and the factors which would influence the success of their goals. During individual interviews these questions were explored more comprehensively.

The research combined both quantitative and qualitative methods. Most individual interviews were recorded by audio cassette. Questions asked of prison literacy instructors pertained to the nature of their prison school program, content of school work, admission into their program, resources available, nature of teacher or peer/volunteer support.

In both the focus groups and the individual interviews, prisoners were asked about their literacy-related goals upon release and the factors which they believed would increase or decrease the success of reaching those goals.

A second phase of this research will conduct follow up interviews with released individual participants. Phase II will measure the success of identified literacy-related goals after students have lived in the community for a minimum of three months. It will also measure the factors influencing success of preestablished goals and consider the importance of a supported reintegration plan.