Prison Education: Effective Education Against Antisemitism

Prison Education Effective Education Against Antisemitism

Prison education is a “second chance [for prisoners] to learn the skills and social competences they will need in order to be reintegrated”.1 Education plays a vital role in prison, helping prisoners to obtain employment upon release and integrate fully into social norms, consequently decreasing the probability of re-offending.

The Ministry of Justice published its White Paper ‘Prison Safety and Reform’ 3 in November 2016, proposing a number of reforms to existing prison frameworks. The White Paper, following recommendations from the Coates review, stated that after the ending of current education contracts, prison governors will have full responsibility for the allocation of education funding, design of education programmes, and the commissioning of services. Education Delivery Plans for the academic year commencing 1 August 2017 gave governors complete authority to implement systems to meet the needs of their prisoners and the demand for skills in their specific areas, while following the core common curriculum. Crucially, this has decentralised frameworks for national prison education.

The Antisemitism Policy Trust believes that the following revisions to the current prison education system could promote social values, tolerance, and non-discrimination amongst prisoners, contributing to improved conduct and more effective rehabilitation.