Employment effects and wage rates should be considered together. After all, the goal is for former inmates both to stay employed and to earn enough to be productive citizens and family members, thereby reducing their chance of reoffending.
Prison education programs increase post-release wages by an average of $131 per quarter. While this may seem a modest increase, it is a positive signal. The workers most affected by schooling are often marginal workers whose wages were expected to be lower than average. Not only are released prisoners more likely to find work, but those who do find work earn more at those jobs than those who do not receive education while incarcerated.