LOIS M. DAVIS, SUSAN TURNER, MICHELLE C. TOLBERT, BEVERLY A. WEIDMER, ALLISON KIRKEGAARD
Assessing the Impact
of COVID-19 on Prison
Education
Future Implications
D
uring the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, most education programs in
U.S. state prison systems were halted or suspended in response to the variety of policies
state and federal correctional systems implemented to prevent or contain the spread of
COVID-19 among incarcerated individuals. As part of their response, many correctional
systems ceased or substantially cut back on programming, including ongoing education and
workforce training programs and other programs and activities. In many instances, correctional
systems prevented instructors and other staff from entering prison facilities (Carson, 2021; Carson,
Nadel, and Gaes, 2022).
In this report, we examine how COVID-19 affected prison education programs within state cor-
rectional systems, including access to education programs, enrollment in these programs, educational
attainment, the use of education technology, and instructional delivery, including the move to online
courses and hybrid learning models. We also discuss the implications of these changes with respect to
the long-term prospects of how correctional education will be provided to incarcerated individuals.
Overview and Overall Approach
We received funding from the Ascendium Education Group to undertake such a comprehensive
assessment. Our overall goal was to collect critical information to help inform educators, colleges,
corrections officials, and policymakers about the magnitude of the overall impact of the pandemic
and its effects on access to education programs, along with options to mitigate short- and long-term
adverse consequences. Our study addressed the following research questions:
Research Report
