Corrections personnel respond to educational issues.

Summary

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Midwestern university survey

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Corrections personnel respond to educational issues.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Criminal Justice Association in Chicago, Oct. 9, 2002.

In recent years, the assumption that higher educational levels lead to increased professionalism has prompted many correctional agencies across the country to adopt higher educational entry standards for their employees (Jurik, 1985; Jurik and Musheno, 1986; Hepburn, 1989). While these new standards may have been implemented sporadically in some states, personnel who have been working in corrections for many years may have begun their employment with varying entry-level qualifications. To examine some of the issues relevant to education, a questionnaire was developed to assess correctional staff perceptions of educational needs and the relationship between professional development and career enhancement. More specifically examined was:

* Employee interest in pursuing higher education as well as specific majors they wish to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels;

* Relationship between educational achievement and career enhancement;

* Courses in subject areas or subjects on which prospective correctional employees should focus; and

* Issues that criminal justice researc...

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