Volatile learning environments: Exploring the barriers to inclusion in prison education through collaborative writing

Abstract

Education in prisons is intended to transform lives. It fulfils a major role in rehabilitation and is critical to ensuring that incarcerated people have the necessary knowledge and skills to lead meaningful, productive and economically active lives when they are released back into the community. However, there is substantial evidence that highlights the poor quality of education in prisons in the United Kingdom (UK), due to lack of ambition, narrow curricula, weaknesses in assessment and lack of attention to learners’ starting points. Our review of the literature has highlighted a lack of studies which specifically privilege the voices of prison educators and prisoners who have participated in education courses during their time in incarceration. This paper draws on our conversations between both authors to illuminate the barriers to inclusion in relation to prison education. Several issues are highlighted, including lack of consistency, volatile learning environments and lack of support for learners who are enrolled on higher education courses. We offer some tentative recommendations to advance policy and practice in prison education that are informed by the literature and international comparisons.