Wyoming’s prisons currently have the second best recidivism rate in the US. In Wyoming out of a hundred released prisoners, only twenty five return to prison – compared with forty nationally – an achievement the Wyoming Department of Corrections attributes to its education programs. According to inmates, prison education provides a silver lining during incarceration, and a RAND corporation report finds that it also saves taxpayer’s money.

Betty Abbott, the Education Programs Manager for the Department of Corrections, says that education improves inmates’ career prospects upon release, which makes them less likely to return to crime and reincarceration. However, prison education programs remain underfunded nationally and are disproportionately targeted during budget cuts.

How important is a prison education? Read more at wyomingpublicmedia.org