Haugland 1

Madison Haugland
Professor Alzen
ENG 123
31 January 2016
Research Proposal
Mass incarceration in America today is singlehandedly silencing nearly five million
voices in numerous ways. Most people are blind to the implications of this issue. To put it into
perspective, President Obama won the popular vote by a little less than three million votes and
four times more American citizens have been imprisoned than all American causalities added
together from every war in our nations history. By ignoring masses of people, Americas culture
of standing up for freedom is being manipulated beyond what anyone could imagine, just
through incarceration. Mass incarceration has caused the prison system of America to silence
voices by not providing adequate educational opportunities for criminals while in prison, by
stripping away certain rights of citizenship, and by settling for mediocracy. This research
proposal will focus on the history of this issue and solutions that may end the trend of recidivism
and the silencing of American voices, which ultimately alters the course of our nation.
Since this issue can determine our nations future, my research for this project has been a
very extensive process which was kick started through library research assignments. Discovering
new ways of finding sources, such as what the lettering and codes on books stand for
categorically was very helpful. Also reading through other sources bibliographies to see who
they drew from allowed me to springboard into renowned and respected articles and authors.
Keeping in mind the publishing date, I will not misrepresent a source by seeming to portray their
statistics as relevant when they are outdated and therefore invalid. The sources I have gathered

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all have credible publishers who are either in the forefront of their field or so specialized that one
is actually reading the writings of an expert in the field. All of them are very essential in
capturing the history of the problem, the problem itself, and what solution is best suited to
eradicate the problem. However, Duguid (1981), Esperian (2010), and Vacca (2004) are the key
contributors when delving into the problem of recidivism; Whereas Evans (2009), Haugen
(2013), and Nunn (2005) not only establish the dire circumstances but also create the context or
history surrounding the issue. Hughes (2012) and Rankin (2005) contribute as the counter voices
to the defining of the problem and proposed solutions of how to fix high rates of recidivism;
hence their input cannot be understated.
In the historical section of the project I will establish the context which has allowed mass
incarceration to steadily grow due to the theory that prison works. Even though this problem is
deeply rooted and can be traced back decades and decades, I will start by looking at the trends
since the 1990s. By using a tighter time frame, this will engage readers more because it does not
seem as long ago as drawing from any old 1920s prison legislature. By focusing primarily on
what has happened within the last twenty-five years I can be more specific and highlight key
events, such as the prison works theory (Burnett, R. and Maruna, S. 390). By shaping the
history to be relevant, the solutions will follow suit. The history will focus on prison education
and compare it to the course of our nations public schooling education. Contrasting the two will
further show their fundamental differences and similarities which are not preventing recidivism.
Evans (2009), Haugen (2013), and Nunn (2005) will also be important authors to draw from
while uncovering the past, key state legislation, and real people who have been damaged by mass
incarceration and have interviewed sharing their experience.

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Education is the key to self-improvement and success, yet criminals have very limited
access to this already meager system. The solution that is widely being discussed is to simply
provide better education for the incarcerated which would equip them for a productive life after
prison. However, how to actually go about that is fairly delicate. Issues of funding and actually
motivating policy makers and prisoners alike are some of the obstacles stymieing any
improvements. By and large, everyone agrees education reduces the rate of recidivism. If we can
shrink that rate then imprisonment will steadily decrease. However, the obstacle of actually
motivating the prisoners to want to become educated and therefore heard is challenging. A
suggestion I have been wrestling with is revising legislature that eliminates ex-felons or those on
parole from the act of voting. Something as simple as that right is stripped away permanently in
many states as Nunn thoroughly explains. Perhaps if, in combination with enhanced
opportunities for better education, laws were changed to grant back certain constitutional rights,
prisoners would become motivated to learn. However, in opposition to improvements, is
complacency and settling for mediocracy. There are some who advocate, such as Hughes (2012)
and Rankin (2005), that there is no education problem within the prison system and that prison
itself should turn someones life around or if they refuse to change then they deserve to be here.
This solution, which is really an avoidance to the problem at hand, is what many Americans
support by being uninvolved in this issue. By not insisting on any change or discussing these
issues, most Americans remain uninformed and therefore support mediocracy by not initiating
change. The criteria of cost-benefit fits impeccably here. Though this solution would require
monetary costs initially, the improvements in education provided within prison systems would
ultimately lower recidivism rates. This means less crime, which means less prisoners, which
means lower costs of providing said education. This is a cycle that desperately needs people to

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join together to push strongly to get it started. I still need to research formal solutions - ones
that are not as vague as simply improving education or motivating prisoners. I have a solid idea
of what needs to be done but I must become more aware of how exactly to pinpoint these
problems and pick solutions best suited for them based off past experiments. Despite this, I
believe the main solution is conveyed well here along with clear acknowledgment of the
obstacles, costs, and benefits.
American voices of criminals or ex-felons are manipulated when denied access to quality
education, when denied certain rights, and when those in power compromise for inadequacy.
This not only effects todays adults but also todays youth; ultimately tomorrows future. The
course of America is forever being altered by the silencing of their voices. So how do we end this
manipulation? I argue that the solution ultimately lies with education. Study after study
repeatedly show an extremely strong correlation of good education to lower recidivism rates. Our
culture would be radically different if these criminals were given better opportunities and
equipped to positively contribute toward society. The cycle of thinking that prison fixes
everything must end. Other paths must be made. Voices criminal or not must be heard and speak.
The design medium I have chosen is a website. I am in the process of making it off of
weebly.com. I chose this because it allows me to have a home page which will serve as a little
introduction. Then other pages and links within the site lead to history and solutions where I
can expand on what I have written here in my proposal. I also picked creating a website because
it is more relevant to todays people and I want them to have as much easy exposure as they can
get to the topic.

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Working Bibliography
Burnett, R. and Maruna, S. So prison works, does it? The criminal careers of 130 men released
from prison under Home Secretary, Michael Howard. Howard Journal of Criminal
Justice , 43(4) (2004): 390 404. Web. 10 Jan. 2016
Cullen, Francis T., and Shannon A. Santana. "Rehabilitation." Encyclopedia of Crime and
Justice. Ed. Joshua Dressler. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
1314-1327. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Duguid, S. Prison education and criminal choice: the context of decision making. Canadian
Journal of Criminology , 23(4) (1981): 421 38. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Esperian, John H. "The Effect Of Prison Education Programs On Recidivism." Journal Of
Correctional Education 61.4 (2010): 316-334. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Jan.
2016.
Evans, Kim M. "Correctional Facilities: Prisons and Jails." Crime, Prisons, and Jails. 2009 ed.
Detroit: Gale, 2009. 87-99. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Haugen, David M, and Susan Musser. Juvenile Justice. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Internet
resource. Web. 10 Jan. 2016
Hughes, Emma. Education in Prison: Studying Through Distance Learning. Farnham: Ashgate
Publishing Ltd, 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.
Nunn, Robin L. "Lock Them Up And Throw Away The Vote." Chicago Journal Of International
Law 5.(2005): 763. LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.

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Rankin, Carole E. "Illiterate Prisoners? Myths And Empirical Realities." Journal Of Offender
Rehabilitation 41.2 (2005): 43-55. PsycINFO. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Vacca, James S.. Educated Prisoners Are Less Likely to Return to Prison. Journal of
Correctional Education 55.4 (2004): 297305. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.