A major collection of writings about the transforming power of education in British prisons. Edited by two of the leading experts on prison education in the UK - Professor David Wilson of the University of Central England (and a former prison governor), and Dr Anne Reuss of the University of Abertay (who previously taught at HMP Full Sutton) - this book is a collection of essays written by leading prison education practitioners, academics and prisoners. Chapters include new work on how to evaluate the "success" of education within prison by Dr Ray Pawson of Leeds University, and by Stephen Duguid of Simon Fraser University in Canada. A serving life sentenced prisoner describes the impact of education on his time inside, and two of the UK's leading prison educationalists at HMP Whitemoor describe their work and it's power to transform. New research from the archives of the Prisoners Education Trust - a long-time supporter of education in prisons - is presented by Emma Hughes a doctoral student at UCE.
This book is a major challenge to penal policy-makers to accept the value of education - beyond "basic skills", and at a time when regimes have come to be dominated by cognitive thinking skills courses. Weaving anecdote with solid research and evaluation, the book presents a comprehensive account of education inside prisons. At the very heart of it lies the question: "who is prison(er) education for - prison or prisoner?"