EDUCATION IN PRISON EARNS HIGH MARKS

Local officials of the state court system believe requiring prison inmates to complete a high school equivalency degree before they are paroled may be a good idea, but point out implementing such a plan would not be easy.

"In theory it is a terrific idea and one that deserves some serious study," said Circuit Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. "It would be a wonderful improvement toward the concept of rehabilitation. I do, however, have some reservations, but they can probably be overcome."

Limbaugh noted that not all inmates have the intellectual ability to earn a high school degree and some kind of exception would have to be made for those who have learning disabilities.

He added, "I don't know if it could be made mandatory, but at the very least it should be a factor in the decision of the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole on whether to parole an inmate."

"The problem of non-education of these folks is a real problem," said Presiding Circuit Judge A.J. Seier. "What upsets me is we send someone to the penitentiary and nothing happens unless the individual wants it to happen."

As much as Seier would like to see a greater emphasis on required rehabilitation in prison, as a practical matter, it is hard to force someone to learn.

"It's all part of a cycle. They can't get a job when they are paroled because they don't have a diploma, and if they don't have a job, they commit crimes," said Seier. "So it is important they get at least a high school equivalency."

Seier said it is "atrocious" that many inmates do not have an education. The judge said he has been upset while touring the state penitentiary in Jefferson City to find classrooms unused.

Providing education for rehabilitation while in prison is not a new issue. Several of the candidates for governor in 1992 have proposed this in speeches around the state.

One of those is Secretary of State Roy Blunt, who chaired the Governor's Advisory Council on Literacy in 1989. Two of the 30 action plans in that report pertained to education in the prisons.

The report states that 85 percent of the approximately 12,000 inmates in Missouri's prisons are not high school graduates and average 10.5 years of schooling. Forty percent of the inmates entering the corrections system have literacy skills at or below the sixth grade level.

National studies, reviewed by the advisory council, showed that about 40 percent of those arrested for serious crimes were under the age of 18. The report said that having dropped out of school and lacking basic skills, the youths turn to illegal activities for income.

One of the council's action plans states that by 1995, prison authorities should provide sufficient instruction so that 90 percent of those inmates categorized as functionally illiterate achieve an eighth grade level of literacy before they are released.

A second plan calls for requiring, by the year 2000, that all capable inmates earn a High School Equivalency Certificate (GED) before they can be granted parole.

Clarence Ackman, district supervisor for the Cape Girardeau office of the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole, said that top officials in the Missouri Department of Corrections are trying to place a greater emphasis on rehabilitation.

Opportunities to earn a GED are provided in prisons now, Ackman said. But, it is not required. Ackman said, however, he has seen some evidence that the board of probation and parole does consider an inmate's efforts toward rehabilitation in making parole decisions.

"It would be a good idea to require this in prison, but with two-, three-, and four-year sentences, they are really not up there long enough to get involved," said Ackman. "But anything constructive would be good."

Ackman suggested that inmates paroled before completing degrees could continue to work on degrees while under probation supervision.

But there are problems with forcing inmates to try and improve themselves if they don't want to, and providing funding for staff and classroom space. Further complicating the problem is that Missouri's prisons are overcrowded and inmates are being paroled for many crimes after serving only a small portion of their sentence. Forcing them to serve their full sentences if they don't earn a degree would only contribute to the overcrowding problem, some officials say.

Cape County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said that 90 percent of all prisoners now are paroled after serving a third of their sentences, so keeping them in prison until they completed degrees would only add to overcrowding.

"Providing an opportunity for them to become literate while in prison is an excellent idea," said Swingle. "On one hand, you send someone to prison to be punished, but on the other hand, they have already shown an anti-social personality. If they learn to read and write, it will help them become productive members of society."

The prosecutor does not support denying parole until they earn a GED. "I don't believe you can truly force somebody to learn," said Swingle. He added that some people simply do not have the capability of earning a degree, but it should be available.

"I would rather think prisoners are doing it because they want to improve themselves to lead honest lives, rather than trying to get a more literate criminal," said Swingle. "If they are going to stay criminals, we want them to stay stupid so they are easier to catch.

"There is no point in further educating someone who is going to use his education to be a better criminal."

In most instances, Swingle said, if an inmate does not want to take steps to improve, he or she probably wants to stay a criminal.

Limbaugh and Seier both require most of the people they place on probation to work toward a GED if they do not have a high school education. Ackman pointed out that in preparing pre-sentence investigations, members of his staff make it a recommended condition for parole.

Limbaugh said as far as he knows, requiring a GED is a standard condition for felony probationers.

The probation and parole office in Cape Girardeau has an in-house program for teaching the GED, in cooperation with the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School.

"We are one of the few offices in the state to offer it," said Ackman. He added that people on probation may also attend classes for a GED at the vocational school.

Requiring a GED is something that dates back to 1973 when Stanley Grimm became circuit judge here, Ackman noted.

Seier said that even with having education as a condition of probation, not everyone complies. "It's like the old saying, `You can take a horse to water and can't make him drink.' You have the same thing on probation. This is probably one of the hardest things to get them to comply with," said the judge.

"For some reason they resist; you can pontificate and bang the gavel all you want, but if they don't want to learn they won't learn," said Seier.

Ackman agreed that "it is hard to force them to learn. But it is not hard to force them to go to classes."

At first, Ackman said some probationers are not really interested in taking classes, but as time goes on, many become interested.

"Judges are good at backing us up," added Ackman. "If you have that, it's a lot better."

Ackman said the new state prison at Potosi offers a 180-day program that requires all inmates to take classes. So far, he said, it has worked very well.

Sen. John Dennis, D-Benton, who served as Scott County sheriff for 24 years before entering the state Senate, said he believes the idea of requiring education is a good one, if the state can afford it.

"If they start schooling when they get in the penitentiary, you save a lot of money when they get out," he observed.

Dennis agreed it is difficult to force people to learn, and may cost a little to get the program going, but "that is still cheaper than having to put someone back in prison."

He added, "Just taking an outward look at it, the idea sounds wonderful, if they can get it operating right. I think it is worth looking at and should be studied thoroughly."