Education Services Overview
The Nevada Department
of Corrections, (NDOC), the Programs Division and the Educational Services
Department recognizes the magnitude and value of educational programming in assisting
each offender with a successful transition from incarceration to their local
communities.
We know from
evidenced based research, that education is the cornerstone to providing successful
re-entry and reducing recidivism.
Research concludes if an offender earns an HSD, recidivism rates are decrease
by 30%, if an offender earns an industry recognized vocational certificate
combined with a HSD recidivism rates are decreased by 55% and earning a college
degree while incarcerates decreases recidivism rate by 90%. Education Services recognize that an
offender’s path to successfully rejoining their community starts on the day
they begin serving their sentence.
Our Mission
The mission of the Education Services Department is to provide offenders with the skills necessary to successfully re-enter the labor market upon release. At intake, the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems, (CASAS) Reading Assessment is administered to each offender. These scores, in addition to the Nevada Risk Assessment (NRAS) results and career interest assessment outcomes are used as the foundation to create and hold the offender accountable to an Individual Career Pathway Plan (ICPP). The ICPP is designed to prepare the offender for success in the workforce, by combining education and training, evidenced based programming, work experience and basic workplace skills.
Adult Education
Approximately 58% of Nevada’s offenders come to prison without having completed high school. It is our goal that every offender who leaves prison has a GED or High School Diploma. In each of our major prisons, school districts teach a range of correctional education including basic literacy for offenders who test below the 8th grade level in their academics, English as a Second Language (ESL), Life Skills, GED preparation and vocational training, in addition to the traditional high school program. Upon completion of 20½ credits and passing of proficiency exams required by the State Board of Education, offenders are issued an Adult High School Diploma. GED certificates are also issued upon successful completion of all five sections of the national exam. During 2009, over 5,000 offenders were enrolled in adult education programs.
Vocational Training
More than 78% of offenders come to prison with minimal job training. Vocational skills are taught to Nevada offenders by the school districts and colleges, prison industries, and the Nevada Division of Forestry. Offenders can learn culinary skills, construction trades, animal science, fire-fighting, auto mechanics and restoration, business and management, equipment repair, HVAC installation and repair, welding, furniture manufacturing, dry cleaning, computer skills and more. Offenders may also get prison jobs as clerks, cooks, janitors, maintenance workers, landscapers, construction crews and other such positions that provide them on-the-job training.
Incentives for Offenders
Nevada law provides incentives for offenders to earn an education while incarcerated; among these incentives is the application of educational credits toward the reduction of sentences. An offender, who earns a certificate, educational or vocational, while behind bars, may qualify to expedite his/her release date.
Reducing Recidivism
When combined with other rehabilitative programs, education is a powerful factor in reducing recidivism. Rigorous study gives offenders the intellectual leverage they need to revise their view of themselves and leave prison better equipped to contribute positively to their families and communities. Education has been the longest running and most successful rehabilitative program in our prison history.