Report

Life beyond bars

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation discusses the current state of education in prisons, and why it is failing to deliver on its aims.

Education is central to prisoner rehabilitation, but take-up of it has been in decline and is still not back at even pre-pandemic levels.

This Social Market Foundation briefing discusses the current state of education in prisons, and why it is failing to deliver on its aims of supporting employment and reducing reoffending. Education reduces reoffending in and of itself and helps to secure employment after release, but take-up has been in decline and is still not back at even pre-pandemic levels.

The quality of prison education has also experienced a decline, with 73% of prisons rated as “requires improvement” or “inadequate” for their education and skills provision in 2023. The issue is that education is not truly valued by prison governors or by government. Education is not always paid the same as work, disincentivising participation, and government doesn’t think it should be. For governors, education is often an afterthought.

There is a narrow understanding of what education is. The education that is offered is limited in scope and achievements are not celebrated. Government does not encourage a broader education offering, and does not fund education sufficiently. Improving education requires a step change from both governors and government.

To show they are serious about education, government should mandate that education and work are paid at the same rate. Funding for education should be increased to ensure successful delivery, and governors must be incentivised by government to value education.

Education should also play a more significant role in prison assessments, and prisons who do education well should be rewarded.