Marginal Maidens and Educational Policy for Women's Institutions

Unfavorable world and national economic and social trends of recent years have been paralleled by a reduced commitment to social services for marginalized peoples, including educational programs for women inmates. The potential negative results for future levels of delinquency and crime cannot be precisely calculated, according to sociologists and criminologists. Ideally, everyone should have equality of access to educational programs to prepare them for a role in a democratic society; however, women and minorities hold the least power in a capitalist, free-market climate, and thus are most easily marginalized and ignored. This paper proposes that educational policy for women's institutions in a time of global restructuring take into consideration the political and economic realities while also fulfilling educational goals of empowerment and entitlement within society. Contains 18 references. (Author/BT)