Inmate Correspondence Courses: A Ticket to a Better Life

Inmates need more help in changing their lives than what they are currently receiving through counseling sessions. A good alternative to counseling is an evidence-based cognitive life skills correspondence courses for inmates. This could be just the tool that will harness an inmate’s resolve to change and lead a more productive life. Sadly the criminal justice system is not really designed to provide for the criminogenic needs of offenders. Instead of being rescued from criminal tendencies they are often just provided with time to nurture their hate for the world as they go back around in circles in their deviant existence.

A criminal is not just a criminal. A prostitute is not just a prostitute. Even juveniles are not just juveniles. They are individuals, a single human entity that deserve care. Changing a person means first and foremost caring for them. Prison and the life inside the penitentiary system is hardly a caring world but an impersonal, harsh place to enforce change to people who are somehow programmed, decided to live life the way they want to.

The knowledge of right and wrong is built in to every sane person. This makes “changing” a give and take thing. You can only help a criminal to change so much. Somewhere along the way they need to make a choice to do what is right. No amount of cognitive behavior therapy will ever be enough without the right, reciprocal effort from the concerned individual.

90% of criminals that gets into the prison systems get recycled back until they grow old. The message is clear: the same boring life skills material does not work. It does not provide for the criminogenic requirements of inmates. Recidivism can be reduced up to 30% if you have a good life skills material. Correspondence courses for inmates must be self directed under the supervision of a personal coach. It would be better if inmates can distance themselves from their person through how the course is written so that they will be fully self aware while taking on the course.