Inmates who take classes in jail dramatically
reduce their chances of re-incarceration. A 2013 study commissioned by the
U.S. Department of Justice found that vocational and academic courses resulted
in a 40-percent drop in recidivism, while each dollar spent on inmate education
saved taxpayers $4 to $5.
But women behind bars in Santa Clara County
are often prevented from signing up for classes because they’re classified as
security risks. A Civil Grand Jury report issued over the summer charged
local jail authorities of overstating those risks, and disproportionately
limiting learning opportunities for female inmates. The Board of
Supervisors will discuss the report when it meets Tuesday.
Elmwood Correctional Facility, which is run
jointly by the Department of Corrections and the Sheriff’s
Office, classifies inmates on a four-point scale. Of all women jailed
at the Milpitas facility at the time of the grand jury investigation, 178
were considered low-risk (Level 1). Some 332 were considered moderate
risk (Level 2 or 3), while 167 were labeled high risk (Level 4). The
higher the risk, the fewer classes an inmate can take and the more
confined they are to their cell.
“The inability of female inmates to take
classes forces them to remain long hours within their cells or
dormitories,” according to the report. “The grand jury was told by Elmwood
staff that extensive physical confinement of the female population led to
severe cases of depression and several attempted suicides. The depression can
be so severe in some women that they are placed on a 24-hour watch unit where
correction officers check the cells every 15 minutes to confirm their
well-being.”
The grand jury advised the jail to expand
course offerings for higher-risk inmates, or re-classify them to make them
eligible for more classes.
Elmwood has repeatedly come under scrutiny
for its gender gap in education. A civil grand jury report from a decade ago
found that men could choose from 90 percent more classes than female inmates.
Seven years later, another grand jury found that disparity persisted and
said the jail should invest more in women’s vocational training.
Jail officials agreed with the 2012 findings
that the inequity was a problem, but added that security classifications
and a lack of physical space prevented them from closing the gap.
A year later, the DOJ-funded Rand study came
out. The report determined that inmates who took part in correctional learning
programs are 43 percent less likely to end up behind bars again. They also have
a 13-percent greater chance of finding work once they’re out of jail.
But Elmwood’s educational programs are poorly
managed, which prevents the jail from getting the most out of limited time and
classroom space, according to the latest grand jury report.
Jurors said the simplest way to improve
access for women would be to reclassify them as a lower security
risk to qualify them for more classes. Prisons and jails across the
nation have been grappling with the same problem, which has come into sharp
relief as female incarceration has skyrocketed over the past two
decades. Since 1985, female delinquency has increased year over year at double
the rate for men.
Many of the women may have been misclassified
in the first place because the jail relies on policies designed for male
offenders. Jail staff told jurors that this lack of a gender responsive
approach results in women being assigned a higher security classification
than they warrant.
Chief of Correction John Hirokawa, who runs
the jail, said the county has pegged $30,000 to pay for an outside expert to
review the classification system.
Meanwhile, the jail should find a way to
expand course offerings that would ready women to find work upon their release,
the report suggested. Existing courses include landscaping, food prep, computer
training, business and embroidery/silk screening. Because the average jail stay
lasts less than a year, Elmwood only offers months-long vocational courses.
The grand jury's recommendations come amid a
national push to ramp up corrective measures in so-called correctional systems.
A new White House initiative will offer Pell Grants to state prison inmates to
take college-level courses.
August 21, 2015
San
Jose Inside
By Jennifer
Wadsworth
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