Reimagining Access: Institutional Narratives and Practices Shaping Educational Equity for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners in the U.S

Esther Shardey; Eunice Agyei; Felix Ohemeng Akomeah; Albert Kumi

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.66841

Reimagining Access: Institutional Narratives and Practices Shaping Educational Equity for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners in the U.S

Author(s)	Esther Shardey, Eunice Agyei, Felix Ohemeng Akomeah, Albert Kumi
Country	United States
Abstract	Educational access for jailed and formerly incarcerated students in the United States is primarily framed by a "recidivist paradigm" that supports programming based on its utility in reducing recidivism and producing economic savings. This literature review, which synthesizes twenty-six scholarly works, contends that this restricted paradigm is insufficient and frequently harmful to establishing true educational equity. According to the analysis, a "correctional education paradox" (Kakupa & Mulenga, 2021, Introduction, para. 2) often becomes coercive rather than empowering because institutional practices routinely restrict pedagogical quality and student autonomy, driven by a security-first logic and a preference for limited vocational training. Furthermore, institutional impediments, including discriminatory admissions processes, the digital divide, and a lack of comprehensive post-release care, contribute to injustice outside of jail. The results show that reimagining access necessitates a major departure from instrumentalist narratives in favor of frameworks like Empowerment Theory and Critical Pedagogy that are focused on human dignity, agency, and critical consciousness. This means incorporating lived experience into the design of programs, putting in place clear anti-racist policies to eliminate systemic racism, and using evaluation metrics that include humanistic outcomes other than recidivism. To promote a more transformative and equitable educational practice for this marginalized student population, the review's conclusion identifies important gaps in the literature regarding longitudinal studies on academic programs, causal mechanisms of transformation, and the empirical evaluation of equity frameworks. It also suggests a targeted agenda for future research.
Field	Sociology > Education
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-01-22
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.66841

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Reimagining Access: Institutional Narratives and Practices Shaping Educational Equity for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners in the U.S

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