Prison education is ripe for reform

The latest government report on prison education recognises that employability is the key to rehabilitation, but there remain difficulties that may let offenders down.

Carolina Bracken
The Guardian

In many ways, the latest government report on prison education has great potential. Based on the compelling correlation between employment and reduced reoffending, Making Prisons Work recognises prison education as the key to enhancing offenders' employability, and the cornerstone behind the much-heralded "rehabilitation revolution".
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Many offenders enter prison with an entirely negative experience of education and work; almost half were unemployed in the year before arriving in custody, and 80% have the literacy skills expected of an 11-year-old. Prison can provide a stable environment in which prisoners develop the skills that will enable them to follow a life in employment and out of crime.

Yet, while efforts to place offender learning at the heart of the prison regime are laudable, three main difficulties permeate the vision – each potentially undermining the government's entire rehabilitative mission.
To read the full article click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/07/prison-education-reform?CMP=twt_gu

Police Work with Ex-Con to Educate Young People

School Liaison Officer Pc Sara Ielden has joined forces with a reformed criminal to educate youngsters in north Beds about the reality of life on the wrong side of the law.

Pc Ielden and ‘Sky’, an ex con, were at Sharnbrook Upper School earlier this month (3March) as part of a wider programme of events aimed at encouraging Year 11 students to think about personal safety, risky behaviour, choices and consequences.

Sky was taken into care when he was five and spent 10 years in foster care and boarding school. He later became involved in drugs and subsequent offending meant he was jailed for a number of serious crimes. After leaving prison Sky decided to turn his life around and now works with young people in an attempt to educate them about the dangers.

“The students were really receptive to what Sky and I had to say,” said Pc Ielden. Seeing the police and a former criminal side by side representing both sides of the story really brought home the grim reality of a life of crime. As a reformed offender Sky was able to share first hand his own experience of the mistakes he made which sent him to prison and warn kids away from doing the same. The reaction we had from all the students was really positive,” she added.

Click here to read full article: Police Work with Ex-Con to Educate Young People

Justice minister endorses learning in custody to reduce reoffending

By Jessica Lewis-Bell
Children & Young People Now
16 March 2011

Justice minister Lord McNally has said improving learning in custody and focusing it on the demand of the labour market will reduce the risk of reoffending.
Speaking at the launch of the Consumer Financial Education Body’s (Cfeb) Money in the Mix guide for working with young offenders, Lord McNally outlined plans to work with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education to improve learning provision for young offenders.
He said: "We plan to make prisons places of work and industry in conjunction with the private sector. The reason for this is both reparative – to pay into the Victims Fund from money earned, and rehabilitative – to develop skills and work experience alongside links with real employers so as to increase the chance of work on release."
To read full article, click here: http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Youth-Justice/news/1060362/?DCMP=EMC-YouthJustice

Offender Learning in the Community

Offenders have fewer educational and employment skills than the general population and fewer opportunities to access the services they need. Since education and qualifications help people to gain employment, and since employment is often key to helping ex-offenders go straight, effective and engaging education and training for offenders can play a very important part in reducing reoffending. Click here for full details: http://www.skillsdevelopment.org/Default.aspx?page=1384