This grant will support the first phase of a randomized controlled trial of the University at Buffalo College-in-Prison Program within the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Barr hypothesizes that, just as the consequences of incarceration extend beyond the individual and perpetuate racial and class disparities, so too may the benefits of PEPs, an intervention proven effective at reducing negative outcomes for those incarcerated. Barr will collect survey data from applicants who are incarcerated and their loved ones prior to random assignment to the PEP and again after the first semester to assess whether enrollment affects multiple indicators of well-being among incarcerated persons and youth family members, including psychosocial, mental/physical health, and educational outcomes. By employing a linked lives approach, measuring more immediate outcomes (e.g., hope, self-efficacy, mental health), and surveying non-institutionalized family members, Barr will gain a more holistic understanding of the impact of prison education and its potential to disrupt intergenerational mechanisms of racial and class inequality.
Do the benefits of prison education programs (PEPs) extend to family members, including youth, of people who are currently incarcerated?
