Give every prisoner in-cell access to the internet, charity tells chancellor

Covid-19 exposed how prisons are 'stuck in the digital dark ages, says Prisoners’ Education Trust

Covid-19 exposed how prisons are 'stuck in the digital dark ages, says Prisoners’ Education Trust

The chancellor’s spending review should include a “major investment” so that every prisoner has access to a digital device and the internet in their cell, according to the Prisoners’ Education Trust.

Rishi Sunak, who will deliver his spending review next week, has been called on by the charity for the investment after the Covid-19 lockdown exposed how prisons are “stuck in the digital dark ages”.

The Centre for Social Justice published a report in January and found that only 18 out of the 117 prisons in England and Wales have the cabling or hardware required to support broadband in cells.

And when the pandemic struck, face-to-face learning was replaced by worksheets posted under doors which were deemed unhelpful to more than half of those who received them, according to a survey published by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons in February.

Prisoners were kept in their cells for 23 hours a day during the 18-month prison lockdown.

The Prisoners’ Education Trust believes digital devices and “secure, limited access” to the internet in every cell would allow prisoners to use their time to “access educational materials, helping them to ‘level up’ and better prepare for digital life on release”.

The charity said it could not put an estimated figure on how much funding would be needed exactly, but it would be over £100 million.

This year’s Centre for Social Justice report noted that the Ministry of Justice estimates that the cost of installing the hardware necessary to support broadband throughout the country’s prison estate would be in the region of £100 million.

Devices for each prisoner are estimated to then cost around £207 per prisoner, according to think tank Reform. Considering there are around 79,000 prisoners in the country, the devices alone would cost over £16 million.

Then there would also be the cost of any necessary educational content plus the cost of installing the devices, training for staff, along with ongoing running costs.

Jon Collins, chief executive of the Prisoners’ Education Trust said: “Everyone in prison, wherever they are in the country and whatever their background, should have access to education. Digital technology can help to make this happen.

“It is possible to provide safe, secure intranet and internet access to people in prison and in-cell devices would open up a world of educational opportunities. Without this, the digital divide will become a chasm, with prison leavers re-entering society ill-equipped to cope in a digital world. It is time prisons move out of the digital dark ages.”

A prison service spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said: “We’ve kept education running throughout the pandemic with digital technology and in-cell learning.

“Education is key to reducing reoffending and we are restarting face-to-face learning where it is safe to do so.”

The spending review will take place on October 27.

Latest education roles from

Executive Director of Finance – Moulton College

Executive Director of Finance – Moulton College

FEA

Director of Governance – HRUC

Director of Governance – HRUC

FEA

Principal and CEO

Principal and CEO

Hills Road Sixth Form College

Senior Quality Officer

Senior Quality Officer

University of Lancashire

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Funding Is Flowing, Demand Is Rising — It’s Time for FE to Deliver on Green Skills

As the UK races toward net zero, the government says it wants to back 2 million green jobs by...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK colleges, learners are already...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Supporting the UK’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan Through Skills

The UK Government’s Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain strategy sets a legally binding path towards a net-zero transport...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Project power: ASDAN expands its qualifications portfolio

From 2026, ASDAN’s planned Foundation and Higher Project Qualifications will sit alongside its Extended Project Qualification[CM1] , creating a complete...

Advertorial

More from this theme

Prison education

‘Devastating’ prison education cuts will fuel reoffending, warns chief inspector

Many prisoners return to causing 'mayhem' in their community after their release

Josh Mellor
Prison education

No improvement for education of young offenders

Most institutions are stuck in a 'vicious cycle' of isolation and frustration

Josh Mellor
Prison education

‘Bleak existence’ at London young offender institute

15-18 year-olds locked up for 20 hours a day as inspectors warn education attendance levels would 'never be acceptable'...

Josh Mellor
Prison education

Existing providers win £1.5bn prison education ‘overhaul’

Critics warn the system will continue to fail unless more drastic action is taken

Anviksha Patel

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

One comment

  1. Education is crucial in reducing reoffending, & learning started in prison needs to be seamlessly continued upon release, but I don’t believe access to digital resources, intranet & internet in cells would positively impact on those hardest to reach.
    Offenders often have poor, inappropriate & negative experiences with other people & although education & training has a significant role in helping behavioural change, interaction with positive role models along with positive experiential learning & a recognition of ones’ responsibility in previous wrongdoing plays a much bigger role in rehabilitation. This is particularly important after release from prison when the draw back to the life temporarily halted is at it’s strongest.
    This is definitely one of those cases where consistent & persistent human interaction with a clearly monitored plan for improvement is needed instead of a jump into more technology.
    Before investing in cell based digital resources shouldn’t we be investing in the building of those basic societal skills that are missing from those persistently offending?