Staff Member Publishes Research on Correctional Education
Monday, January 15, 2007
A research paper by Jeremiah C. Gee, assessment coordinator for the School of Integrated Studies at Pennsylvania College of Technology, was recently published in The Journal of Correctional Education.
Titled "Education in Rural County Jails: Need Versus Opportunity," Gee's research assessed the self-reported needs of inmate-students and compared those needs to the educational and rehabilitative program opportunities available at a nearby rural county correctional facility. Using a survey, Gee gathered comments from one-third of the jail's general population. Trends showed that participants desired more frequency and variety of programs, specifically in family, job, life, financial and social skills.
"Published research reports at the rural county level are essentially nonexistent," Gee said.
It is Gee's desire that the article sparks interest in rural county inmates, whom he identifies as a unique inmate population with the motivation and potential for rehabilitation. Gee instructs GED classes at a rural county prison, and he plans to continue raising awareness of inmates' needs.
"Education is a proven way of reducing the burden of taxpayers' financial obligations to support incarceration," he said. "It also changes lives."
Gee earned a master's degree in education at Mansfield University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Nyack College Manhattan Center.
For information about academic programs offered by Penn College's School of Integrated Studies, call (570) 327-4521 or send e-mail .