UWP print-based program helps to reduce recidivism
PLATTEVILLE - According to a June 8 report of the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, America experiences a 62 percent recidivism rate in the prison system. The commission further reported that postsecondary education has the potential to cut recidivism in half.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville supports education in the Wisconsin State Prison System through its print-based business administration bachelor's degree program that has been offered since 1979. The courses are administered by UWP's Distance Learning Center.
On June 3, Duane Ford, dean of UWP's College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture, spoke at a graduation ceremony for inmates of Stanley Correctional Institute, a medium security facility in Stanley.
"There is a tremendous need for educational programming in corrections facilities. And, as fewer universities offer correspondence or print-based delivery, it gets harder for inmates to get it," said Ford.
One of the inmates, Gerald Tabat, graduated from UWP with a BS in business administration. The first to receive a baccalaureate at Stanley, Tabat received a standing ovation when accepting his diploma. Ford said that Tabat's mother and sister attended the graduation ceremony and were visibly proud of his accomplishments.
According to Ford, "Incarcerated students have few options for completing a college degree; ours is one of a limited number of programs that is available to them. They typically are not allowed access to computers so cannot enroll in online classes. Students may take up to one year to complete print courses for the business administration curriculum, and our courses feature individualized, self-paced study under the direction of one of our professors or teaching staff."
Anyone wanting more information on UWP's print-based or online courses may contact the UWP Distance Learning Center at (608) 342-1468 or disted@uwplatt.edu, or visit their website: http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted/.
Anyone wishing to view the June 8 report of the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, may go to http://www.prisoncommission.org.
Contact: Marge Karsten, UWP Business and Accounting Department, (608) 342-1749, karsten@uwplatt.edu
Prepared by: April Schmidt, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, schmidap@uwplatt.edu
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