Chapter 4
Programming, Work, and Reentry
One idea about imprisonment is that it is an occasion for individual self-improvement—for education, vocational training, rehabilitation. But do prisoners have a legal right to education and rehabilitative services? This chapter presents legal and policy issues related to prison labor, educational programs, and reentry services.
Featured Opinions
- Laaman v. Helgemoe, 437 F.Supp. 269 (D. N.H. 1977)
- Vanskike v. Peters, 974 F.2d 806 (7th Cir. 1992)
Featured, Cited, and Supplemental Litigation Documents
- Novoa v. The GEO Group, No. 17–cv–02514 (C.D. Cal.)
- Litigation summary and documents
- Third Amended Complaint (Aug. 16, 2019)
- Laaman v. Helgemoe, No. 75-258 (D.N.H.)
Statutes, Treaties, and Regulations
- Ashurst-Sumners Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1761-1762
- Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 201 et seq.
- Federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1589(a), 1594(a)
- U.N. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (The Nelson Mandela Rules), G.A. Res. 70/175 (Dec. 17, 2015)
Non-case Excerpts and Supplemental Documents
- ABA Criminal Justice Standards (3d ed.), Treatment of Prisoners, Standard 23-8.9: Transition to the community (2011)
- Michigan Department of Corrections: Prisoner Programming; Educational Programming (Nov. 2019)
- Benny Rios, Reflection on Prison Law Class (2020)
Additional Reading
Other Cited Sources
Rehabilitative needs
- Jennifer Bronson et al., U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Drug Use, Dependence, and Abuse Among State Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2007-2009 (June 2017)
- Jennifer Bronson & Marcus Berzofsky, Dep’t of Justice, Indicators of Mental Health Problems Reported by Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011-12 (June 2017)
Reentry
- Sachini N. Bandara et al., Leveraging the Affordable Care Act to Enroll Justice-Involved Populations in Medicaid, 34 Health Aff. 2044 (2015)
- Ingrid A. Binswanger et al., Release from Prison—A High Risk of Death for Former Inmates, 356 New Eng. J. Med. 157 (2007)
- Gabriel J. Chin, The New Civil Death: Rethinking Punishment in the Era of Mass Conviction, 160 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1789 (2012)
- Collateral Consequences Research Center, Legislative Update: Third Quarter 2019 Sees More New Licensing and Expungement Laws (Oct. 11, 2019)
- FAMILIES USA, Medicaid Eligibility for People Leaving Incarceration is Smart Policy (July 12, 2016)
- Kaiser Family Foundation, Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map (Nov. 15, 2019)
- Adam Looney & Nicholas Turner, Brookings Institute, Work and Opportunity Before and After Incarceration (Mar. 2018)
- Nat’l Ass’n of Ctys., Health Coverage and County Jails Suspension vs. Termination (Dec. 2014)
- Nat’l Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Convictions
For More Information
- Marshall Project, Prison Money Diaries: What People Really Make (and Spend) Behind Bars (Aug. 2022)