Educating prisoners would pay off, too

Education … education … education. Bravo to the writer of Saturday’s letter, “Education key to preventing burglaries.” Education is the answer.

Not only in protecting ourselves from the wrongs of theft and burglary as stated, but let’s educate those who are perpetrating these offenses as well. Let’s take the opportunity while they are incarcerated to help them turn their lives around.

The correlation between crime and education is so very obvious. Nineteen percent of all those entering our prisons are completely illiterate while some 40 percent are functionally illiterate. Some 10 percent have learning disabilities. Most people in prison come from poor, urban neighborhoods with failing public schools. The rate of re-arrest is lower for the more educated of these people and higher for the less educated.

Participation in educational programs would significantly reduce recidivism rate – thus theft and burglary.

Jesse White

Marysville