Vocational Programs in the Federal Bureau of Prisons: Examining the Potential of Agricultural Education Programs for Prisoners

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has a long-standing desire to be the pinnacle in corrections and correctional education. In 1891 Congress passed the Three Prisons Act, which established the federal prison system, prior to this Act federal inmates were housed in state, city, and county jails (Keve, 1991). The Act not only established the first three prisons, but also allotted $100,000 to each institution to create workshops for the employment of inmates (Fields, 2005). These workshops culminated the early precursors of Vocational Training; programs that have grown and have become a cornerstone in correctional education over the past century. In 1930 Congress passed an Act establishing the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Act charged the new Bureau with establishing industries and farms with activities to provide for the proper rehabilitation and reformation of inmates (H.R. 7832). The programs that resulted from this charge have grown and changed over the century, where they were once agriculture based they have grown to include a variety of occupational skills to better aid inmates. Through continued research vocational training has proven to be a key implement that aids in reducing recidivism.