It is known that criminals usually have a poor educational background. Therefore, it is argued that the most effective solution to reduce crime rates is providing education to people in prison. While I believe that prison education can be beneficial, I completely disagree that it is the best approach, because it only addresses the problem after the crime has been committed, ignores the root causes of crime and does nothing to prevent new criminals from appearing.
Firstly, education in prison is not a preventative measure. It may help those who have already been imprisoned, potentially reducing the chance that this particular person will reoffend. It makes, however, no influence on those who are outside prison. Such people are possibly at risk of turning to crime due to various reasons such as poverty, addictions, or lack of opportunities. There may be much more other disadvantaged people that haven’t committed crime yet, who receive no help and might break the law in the future, than the number of educated prisoners. Hence, this method does not solve the scale of the problem and may not be the most effective.
Secondly, educating alone is not enough. Many prisoners suffer from deeper issues, such as drug or alcohol addiction, which lead to criminal behavior. Without professional treatment for these addictions no amount of education can stop them from returning to crime to fund their habits. Another special consideration in this case is that educating a prisoner does not guarantee a job after release. The search for a job might be rather hard for former prisoners, because employers do not trust them. Consequently, there is a need to not only educate people in prison but also treat their addictions and help them find work.
In conclusion, although educating prisoners is a positive step that can help some individuals, it is not the best way to fight crime. A much more effective strategy would be to focus on preventing people from turning to crime in the first place and to provide prisoners with psychological treatment and real employment opportunities.