Spending time in jail can have a huge impact on your life. You will have to explain to your friends and family what you did to land you there. You will have to explain to any future employer why you spent time in jail. Finally, you will have to spend a lot of time without access to a proper education. However, there are still ways to get your degree if you are currently in jail. Anyone who wants an education will be able to get it eventually if they are willing to work hard for it.
Ask About Correspondence Courses Available Where You Are Serving Time
Getting an education in jail is a little harder than trying to get an education while you are outside of prison. What you want to do is ask about any type of correspondence courses that the jail or prison you are staying at offers. To be eligible for any type of education program, you may need to meet certain behavioral guidelines.
Online courses are most likely not going to be available to you because of the risks associated with being an inmate. You could be going online to send messages to those on the outside instead of actually working to get your degree. The good news is that correspondence courses can be completed almost as quickly as many online courses can be.
Educators May Come To You
Even if you are not expected to get out of jail anytime soon, you can still start improving your life by taking courses while in jail. Professors and other volunteers may offer to teach classes right from the jail or prison that you are serving time in. This allows you to get a traditional college experience even if you are not ready to leave jail yet.
There are many different degree types that you can choose from. If you do not want to get a degree, there are many trades that you can learn instead. Getting certified in a trade can improve your chances of staying out of prison once you get out. You will be starting down your path of starting over and inspiring others with your turnaround.
There may even be a chance for you to teach courses yourself once you have graduated. What better way to show others that it is possible to turn your life around then by spreading your new found appreciation for education with others. Ignorance is not a good virtue to live by. If nothing else, you will discover a level of pride in yourself that you may have not felt before.
Realize That There Are Some Limitations To What You Can Study
While getting your degree is certainly something that will inspire others, there will be restrictions placed upon you that most college students don’t even think about. This is because there will be many limitations placed on you even if you are seen as a low risk inmate. For example, you may only be able to receive certain types of packages from any professors wishing to correspond with you.
Books may be problematic because of the materials that they are made from. If you are going for a science degree, you probably won’t be able to get in any lab time that may be required to graduate. Therefore, you should be in constant communication with the education director of your prison to ensure that you are able to have access to the materials that you will need to pursue your desired degree path.
What If You Don’t Have A Diploma?
Many inmates do not have their high school diploma. This can make it problematic to get a college degree. This is because many college programs will not allow you to start work on a college degree unless you have at least your GED. However, most prisons will offer inmates a chance to get their GED in an effort to give them access to college-level degree programs.
Even if you are not planning on getting a degree, you should at least get your GED. It will give you something to do while you are serving your sentence. There is a good chance that pursuing a college degree will give you some leverage if you are up for parole. Those who are working hard at improving their lives will certainly be seen in a brighter light than those who are merely trying to scrape by.
Getting an education in jail will allow you to improve your life both in prison and on the outside when you get out. Even if you are not planning on leaving for awhile, it is still the best thing for you to do. It will show that you are serious about improving your life and inspiring others. If you are going to get out at some point, you want to be able to salvage what is left of your life. Prove to yourself that you are good enough to lead a productive and stable life outside of prison.