Educational programs in the state prison system showed improvements recently, but continued to suffer from staff shortages, according to a recent annual report.
The number of educational staff working in the prison school district sank near its lowest level in the last two decades during the 2022-23 school year, the report shows.
One category that suffered declines was academic teachers; the number working in the prison system fell to 66, down from more than 100 in years past, according to state reports.
For a time, the system also had no library media specialists on staff. In their absence, corrections officers provide access to libraries and library materials.
Corrections officials have pointed to staffing shortages as one factor hampering educational programs.
Responding to questions from Connecticut Public, officials from the Department of Correction (DOC) noted that vacancies have been on the rise in the field of education nationwide for at least a decade, and the teacher shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staffing numbers have improved somewhat, according to a DOC spokesperson. The district hired 33 employees in the last year, including 16 academic teachers, eight vocational instructors and a library media specialist, the spokesperson said.
He added that "despite the extremely challenging conditions of teaching in general, and more specifically teaching inside a correctional facility, the dedicated professionals of [the prison school district] show up and provide quality education to individuals under their care."
The state’s prison system provides education through its Unified School District #1, which serves people incarcerated in state correctional facilities. It provides up to a high school level of education, as well as vocational and technical instruction.
Last year, Connecticut Public reported educational attainment in the district has been on the decline. The prison population has also sharply decreased, but declines in measures such as enrollment and the number of high school diplomas awarded each year fell at a faster rate.
The latest report on prison education programs shows some gains and some declines during the 2022-23 year.
The number of high school diplomas and vocational certificates of completion awarded to incarcerated people continued to drop, even as the state's prison population ticked up from the previous year.
At the same time, there were improvements in some metrics. Average language and math scores increased, and more incarcerated people successfully completed career technical education (CTE) courses. The number of certificates issued to those who completed CTE modules went from 951 the prior year to 1,126, the report shows.
Jennifer Corti, the president of the union that represents teachers in the prison system, said it's important for students to celebrate these achievements.
“Education is one of the biggest ways to reduce recidivism in the Department of Correction,” Corti said. “A lot of people, you know, want to enroll in school if they don't have their high school diploma.”
Andrius Banevicius, a DOC public information officer, wrote in an email that the average student enters the prison school system in Connecticut reading at a fourth grade level. Many don't speak English, and many have "learning disabilities and behavioral issues," Banevicius wrote.
The state is also legally mandated to provide education to incarcerated minors, whether or not they wish to attend school, he wrote.
Corti, from the union, agreed most school districts struggle to hire and retain staff. She said the environment inside prisons, and lack of a summer break, make it even more difficult.
“You're in a prison setting, a hazardous duty setting, you know, and it's just hard,” Corti said.
