This is a guest post by Jon Collins, Chief Executive of the Prisoners’ Education Trust.
A 10-point plan for Prison Education
Earlier this year, in the immediate aftermath of the July general election, I wrote a blog identifying three immediate priorities for the new government on prison education. Building on this, Prisoners’ Education Trust has now produced a briefing making 10 recommendations for the new ministerial team at the Ministry of Justice.
It discusses the importance of prison education, explores why further reforms are needed, and then sets out how prison education can be changed for the better.
Among the recommendations are the three I set out in July: the importance of establishing education as a priority for the prison system, the need for more funding, and taking the opportunity to review the new contracts for education provision before they are finalised.
Our new briefing goes further, identifying other key issues that need to be addressed.
Access to digital technology and the internet
Increasing access to digital devices and the internet is an important and long-established priority for PET.
Digital technology can be a game-changer when it comes to prison education, giving people in prison access to a wide range of educational materials and enabling them to develop their digital skills. But developments to date have been uncoordinated and patchy. A more strategic approach is needed as a matter of urgency.
Support for teachers and investment in education departments
We are also calling for investment in and support for prison teachers. Everyone knows how important teachers are to providing good quality education. We need to make prison education appealing for the best teachers and then provide them with the support to excel.
Alongside this, there needs to be investment in prison education departments themselves. Too many are in a disgraceful state, unacceptable for both teachers and learners.
Broadening the offer and meeting diverse needs
The briefing also highlights the need to provide support for distance learning – enabling more people to access its proven benefits – and asks the new ministerial team to consider how prisons can offer a broader curriculum, including both higher-level study and access to creative activities and sport.
To support those wishing to do a degree, the unhelpful “six year rule” – which prevents people accessing a student loan until they are six years from release – should be scrapped.
We also look at how support can be improved for learners with diverse needs, and in particular neurodiverse learners. Prison education cannot have a “one size fits all” approach if it is to succeed. Progress has been made in recent years to provide better support for neurodiverse people in prison. It must continue to be a priority.
Taking a longer-term view
Finally, the briefing calls on the Ministry of Justice to take a broader, longer-term look at the provision of prison education.
The new contracts will cover the next four years, but what should come after that? More of the same? Or is something better possible? If we want to have options, we need to start exploring them now. By the time the new contracts are coming to an end, it will be too late.
Prison education gives people hope. It gives them access to myriad opportunities. And it helps them to find work and to put their offending behind them. But what is currently available is too often limited and of poor quality, despite the best efforts of prison education staff.
These recommendations would make a difference, providing a route to put prison education on the road to recovery. And I don’t think that they will be contentious among people involved in the delivery of prison education. There is widespread acceptance of what needs to be done.
We look forward to working with the prisons minister Lord Timpson and the rest of the ministerial team at the Ministry of Justice to ensure that they are implemented.
Thanks to Rebecca Radmore and the Prisoners’ Education Trust for kind permission to use the header image in this post.
2 responses
As a previous prison tutor, I completely agree with the points made and would add a couple of further observations;
1 I have seen prisoners change in their personal behaviour, stop or reduce their dependence on drugs (especially for anxiety & depression) because of education giving them purpose.
2 Personal development courses can have a huge positive effect but are constantly being cut.
3 There is often a gulf between prison staff and education staff which is unhelpful and yet often perpetuated by prison attitudes.
I would be happy again to be involved with PET as I was in the past
Thanks for taking the time to comment Paul. Absolutely agree that we need more purposeful activities more than ever at the moment in our prison system and education provides that purpose for very many.
Best wishes
Russell