In my experience, the one thing that really ruins reform sessions is being surpressed. It reduces the prisoner's motivation to take reform courses, or work when they are surpressed.
Sure, a sniper tower or two in a location that prisoners are forced to regularily pass is absolutely marvellous for keeping danger levels at non-existant, but I've found my prisons that do not use snipers, armed guards, or too much solitary confinement (which surpresses much faster than lockdown does) be much more succesful in getting people educated and employed.
EDIT: Here's my latest prison, I put it on the workshop before allowing prisoners in. I think I've got a decent rate of low to high quality cells in it.
I'm currently running it with medium sec intake only. With 100 population added over 10 days, I've yet to see any serious incident happen, even without hiring snipers or armed guards. I've already got 20 prisoners pass the worksho safety, and 5 pass the carpentry education within those 10 first days. That would not have happened if I had hired snipers.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=756917305EDIT: what I really don't get though, is that even though they got a few nice common rooms, with pool tables, tv, weight benches and all, my prisoners rather hang out on the canteen's benches during their free time than using the common rooms. I'm contemplating installing timed automatic doors on the canteen to lock them out outside of chow times.