ABSTRACT
Prison programming is an important part of an incarcerated individual's rehabilitation and carceral experience. While there is much research on the effects of prison programming on outcomes like institutional misconduct and recidivism, little research explores how programming may affect the older incarcerated population, particularly those who are serving life sentences – a group often denied programming. Using in-depth interviews with 40 incarcerated men with life sentences who have all served over 25 years – 20 of whom took part in a two-year life skills program and 20 who did not – as well as matched institutional records, this chapter seeks to answer some research question. Prisons often offer a variety of programs to incarcerated individuals, from educational classes like adult basic education, general educational development test preparation, and post-secondary education to vocational training, or career and technical education to life skills courses.
