Abstract:

Background:
The current state of computer science education in Canadian prisons faces limitations due to restricted technology use and reliance on paper-based or offline materials. Internet access and digital devices, when available, are also bound by rigorous security protocols to prevent unauthorized access from both individuals within the institution and external sources, and this also constrains the range of digital resources that can be provided to students. These constraints hinder incarcerated individuals from developing digital literacy and computation skills necessary for employment and social reintegration. Data from StatsCan illustrate that inmates participating in general education programs reduce their recidivism by 20-30% and those in post-secondary education programs reduce recidivism up to 75%. These statistics demonstrate the importance of delivering meaningful learning opportunities in carceral settings. However, one of the barriers to these programs is that prisons deal with security restrictions. These security restrictions render traditional digital learning, such as video lectures or online courses, largely unavailable and ineffective without modification, given the generally lower rates of general and digital literacy among incarcerated individuals.

Objective:
This scoping review aims to explore the computer science and technology-based learning opportunities for incarcerated individuals in Canada, and wherever possible, we draw comparisons with the existing computing education programs in the United States prisons. Throughout this review, we have consolidated research on the use of computing education programs in prisons.

Method:
The scoping literature review was conducted through Semantic Scholar, which consists of papers from ACM, IEEE, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis Group, etc. Our search queries included “computer science education prisons in Canada” and also “computer science education prisons” to capture a broader understanding of the landscape. Due to the limited number of Canadian studies on computing education in a prison context, many studies from developed countries such as the United States, Australia, and Iceland were considered. These resulted in a final count of 22 papers that were primarily analyzed.

Findings:
The results of the review present the need for access to computing tools (i.e., computers, tablets, etc.) in Canadian correctional facilities. Computing tools are essential teaching resources that are lacking in comparison to our U.S counterparts. In other words, integrating technology into prison education programs by providing computing resources like tablets to individuals to teach computer programming alleviates pedagogical barriers and improves student motivation.

Implications:
This paper illustrates gaps in Canadian computing education programs in prisons, as these types of programs are almost non-existent. The implications suggest that further advances are necessary in this area to help reduce the recidivism rate. To initiate this conversation, we have designed a set of questions and activities for an introductory computing course for incarcerated students, guided by the findings of this scoping review. This scoping review can serve as a stepping stone to develop computing education research and pedagogy within correctional and carceral settings.

Keywords:

Computing education, correctional education, incarcerated learners, digital divide, carceral pedagogy.