College for Convicts

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***College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons*** is a landmark argument for prison education by [** Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA **](https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/about-us/our-team/christopher-zoukis/) — author, legal scholar, and one of the nation’s most-cited authorities on correctional education and criminal-justice reform. Published in 2014 by McFarland & Company, the book confronts a stark fact: the United States holds about 5 percent of the world’s population yet roughly 25 percent of its prisoners. Drawing on a wide body of research from academics and correctional professionals, together with the firsthand experience of educators, *College for Convicts* demonstrates that recidivism falls in direct proportion to the education a prisoner receives — and drops sharply with each additional level of education attained. From that evidence, Zoukis builds a workable response to America’s mass-incarceration and recidivism crises, showing that modest investment in educating prisoners yields outsized fiscal returns: less crime and social disruption, lower domestic spending, and a measurable rise in quality of life for former prisoners, their families, and their communities. Rigorous but accessible, *College for Convicts* translates decades of criminological research into a clear policy case that educating prisoners is among the most cost-effective public investments available. It stands as a core title in the federal prison and correctional education library of Christopher Zoukis, alongside *Education Behind Bars*, *Prison Education Guide*, the *Federal Prison Handbook*, and the *Directory of Federal Prisons*. *College for Convicts received the Montaigne Medal (Eric Hoffer Book Award) in 2015, recognizing it among the year’s most thought-provoking books.*