Abstract
A growing body of scholarship suggests that incarcerated individuals who participate in education programs, particularly those grounded in faith, are better positioned for lasting community reintegration and positive long-term outcomes. Using a mixed-methods evaluation design, the author examines two interrelated questions: whether faith-based higher education is associated with enhanced well-being among current participants and whether program graduates carry those well-being gains into post-release life. Drawing on group interviews with 109 incarcerated men and women across six U.S. facilities and surveys from 157 participants in four states, the study found that participation in a prison-based theological education program was associated with higher well-being, healthier thinking patterns, stronger coping skills, and more positive relationships (n = 266).
Keywords
correctional education, faith-based, flourishing, mixed-methods
ORCID Identifiers
Robin L. LaBarbera: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5628-9526
DOI
10.5038/2577-509X.10.2.1423
Recommended Citation
LaBarbera, R. L. (2026). Religious higher education in prison in the United States: The importance of well-being. Journal of Global Education and Research, 10(2), 113-129. https://www.doi.org/10.5038/2577-509X.10.2.1423
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
