Posts Tagged ‘prison’
Prison Education – Is it a Right or a Privilege?
Do you believe that education is right and not a privilege? According to a poll on debate.org, 69 percent of respondents say education is a basic human right, while 31 percent said it is a privilege. Now let’s get a little controversial. Assuming that the majority of Americans see education as a basic right, should it…
Read MoreIncarcerated Author Releases Federal Prison Handbook
When Christopher Zoukis first went to prison over 10 years ago, he was completely unprepared. “I had no idea how the system worked, where I was going or what to expect,” says Zoukis, who is still incarcerated at FCI Petersburg in Virginia. Like most of the other 10 million Americans imprisoned across the country, he…
Read MoreInstructional Leadership in Prison Education
Submitted by Peter Zitko Adj. Professor of Political Science at Solano College Different organizational settings require the use of various leadership theory tools. For instance, a military leader on the battlefield may necessarily use a leadership model that is quite different than that of a cleric. In many instances, a specific leadership model does not…
Read MoreNew Federal Study Shows Half of Incarcerated Veterans Have Mental Disorder
By Christopher Zoukis A report compiled by a well-respected prisoner group indicates that while the Massachusetts Department of Corrections is diligent in collecting profits from prisoners’ commissary purchases, it has failed to spend those funds on prisoner benefit purchases, as required by state regulation — to the tune of a $2 million surplus for the…
Read MoreCorrections Officials Stealing Prisoners’ Identities a Growing Problem
By Christopher Zoukis Corrections officials tend to have a single-track mindset: guards oversee prisoners in an attempt to maintain security and order. But what if the looking glass needs to be reversed and the jailers need to be overseen instead? With identity theft perpetrated by prison and jail employees on the rise, that option needs…
Read MoreTechnology Boosts Prison Education
Technology use has grown in all aspects of life outside of prisons, including in classrooms. Prison classrooms and communities can also benefit greatly from the use of technology. There are many benefits to using technology within all education systems, including in prison settings. Personalized learning is recognized as being increasingly important to successful outcomes. One…
Read MoreDepartment of Justice Gives Formal Approval on Bureau of Prisons’ Communications Management Units
By Chris Zoukis Nearly a decade after the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) began operating its notorious “Communications Management Units” (or CMU’s), the Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally issued a final rule approving the BOP’s restrictive policies already in place at those facilities. In 2006, the BOP opened its first CMU at its Terre…
Read MorePrison Tobacco Bans Reduce Smoking-related Deaths
By Chris Zoukis Tobacco use and secondhand smoke kill over 480,000 people in the United States annually. The mortality rate of smokers is three times higher than those who have never smoked, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and smoking reduces an average smoker’s life expectancy by 10 years compared to non-smokers.…
Read MoreSignificant Lack of Mental Health Treatment for United States Prisoners
By Chris Zoukis Mental health disorders are common for prisoners. In fact, according to a 2012 study by the National Institutes of Health, 26 percent of prisoners identified as having a mental health disorder while only 18 percent of the general population identified as having a mental health disorder. While the numbers may not say…
Read MoreThe Taste of Exploitation: Whole Foods Stops Carrying Products Made by Prisoners
By Chris Zoukis Visit the website for Haystack Mountain, a Colorado-based goat cheese manufacturer, and you will find information about fancy chèvre and other tasty products. The “Our People” section includes profiles on cheesemaker Jackie Chang and other staffers at the 25-year-old company. The site also mentions their incarcerated workers – Colorado prisoners at the…
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