(VIRGINIA MERCURY) - Roughly one in four inmates in Virginia are waiting to enroll in prison education programs — a backlog that state officials say could hinder rehabilitation and reduce chances of success after release. Lawmakers this week heard a range of possible fixes aimed at expanding access and lowering recidivism rates.

Inmates housed at facilities operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections are permitted by state law to participate in educational and vocational programs, including a “functional literacy” program for inmates testing below the 12th-grade level, adult basic education, career and technical education, and postsecondary education. However, not all prisons are required to offer inmate education.

As of February, 5,671 inmates were on waiting lists for educatio

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