"Inmate S. stood outside my classroom scowling. In fact, he refused to come through the door. This is the first response of many incarcerated individuals when they find they are assigned to education. School is the last place on earth they want to be since most of them failed at it so miserably before."
Four years ago, education became a priority in California's prison system when Arnold Schwarzenegger changed the California Department of Corrections to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The focus then was on how to reduce recidivism. Research shows that inmates who are released from prison with skills to succeed in society are less likely to return. Now, however, a budget crisis makes cuts necessary. Understandable.
However, with CDCR's budget of $10 billion, and 10 percent needing to be cut, why have 30 percent of personnel cuts fallen on academic and vocational instructors, when their programs represent 2 percent of this budget?
At the end of January, 642 of California's correctional educators are scheduled to be laid off. This will be a huge blow to California's already teetering economy. It should also raise the alarm in our neighborhoods. This decision was made alongside the ongoing dilemma of how to reduce the overcrowded prison population by 40,000. Some of this number will undoubtedly be added to the 18,000 prisoners estimated to be released this year in the Central Valley.
