PCF5:Improving access: the role of higher education and distance education in prisons

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Title of session

... Improving Access: The Role of Higher and Distance Education in Prisons...

Session details

  • Date: ... 15th July -16th July ...
  • Time: ... am/pm...
  • Room: ... Room 828...

Session papers

Anne Pike: COLMSCT CETL, Open University, UK Peter Mortimer: CNED, France Dr Antonio Viedma Rojas: UNED, Spain Dr. T. Irwin and Dr. D. A. Wilson, UNESCO Centre, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland Dr. Sushmita Mitra, India



Key Issues that arose in the session

Points for future action (Policy, recommendations, commitments etc.)

  • We will produce diagrams to show:-

1. Time Line of the Offender’s journey, encompassing the offender’s learning journey but also including the offender’s external environment. See Peter’s diagrams – layers of external environments – see also Tracy’s diagrams.

2. The transition between the prisoner’s stages. The aim will be make these transitions seamless:- • learner’s starting point - into prison (aspirations to learning, previous educational experiences, Rees and Gorard in Wales have work on this); do teachers really understand that? Results from eurodesip – CNED to provide teacher training – see also D. Wilson – ‘third space’ work; • during their prison sentence – Wilkinson’s work with Prison Officers (Sheffield Hallam); after their sentence and • back into society – see Equal papers + O’Keefe. Links with probation and NGOs

The main message is that HE and ODL must be adapted to the prison environment.

3 major areas for development have been identified:-

1. Prison Institution Priorities • Security v Education/Rehabilitation • Media/public perception – more community focused • Security officer and other prison staff development • Women in prison • ICT and Internet access • Physical re-organization for education – separate wings – paramilitary model or Prison specialism – vocational/arts etc.

2. Educational Priorities • An educational system which adequately acknowledges the unique prison culture and environment. • Pedagogy • Connections between Formal and informal education • Teacher training - • A meaningful Curriculum – employability – self esteem – reintegration into society on release • Program Design • Languages

3. Strategic Priorities • Funding • Multi-agency working – probation, employers, HE providers, international NGOs • ICT: European-wide platform as the future. Eg. E-learning network, Bologna, Virtual campus. Hole in wall (Sushmita), mobile technologies • Early interventions (before prison) • Media perception –