The RSA Prison Learning Network
Why offender learning and skills?Improving offender learning and skills is critical to reducing re-offending, building a safer society and saving money.Government has recognised this as being fundamental to achieving its ambition to reduce re-offending by 10% by 2010, and for those working on the frontline it has long been one the central principles of their efforts. Despite this there is virtually no mainstream debate (or recognition) of its achievements. Overcrowding and the severity of sentencing have dominated public discussion, while issues such as learning and skills and rehabilitation have fallen by the wayside. Building a safer, skilled and sustainable societyThis is not a niche or new issue; the potential impact for a safer, skilled and sustainable society through a greater development of offender learning and skills is vast. Demonstrably, Learning and Skills Council providers already engage with thousands of individuals who are either serving a sentence or on remand in prison (more than 84,000 were reached between August 2006 - July 2007). Yet this potential seems to be recognised only within the confines of this professional field.Supporting innovation, quality of work and leadershipWe want to support and acknowledge the innovation, quality of work and leadership taking place within and around the prison, probation services and contracted providers (e.g. FE colleges) that play an essential role in the delivery of learning and rehabilitation. However, any strategy aiming to strengthen offender learning should not underestimate the need to tackle the real challenges facing the criminal justice system, and prisons in particular.Few would disagree that the current levels of overcrowding, prisoner mobility and governor turnover are undesirable. Most would concur that these conditions can serve to undermine two of the key aims of custody: to rehabilitate and to reduce crime. The challenge is to find ways of supporting and enabling those on the front line to build on current work, spread good practice and scale up what works within the current context, while developing a compelling narrative, solid evidence and public support for this agenda. Our objective is to improve the quality and consistency of the learning and employment opportunities available to offenders with the objective of reducing crime and improving life within prisons. Working with key players within the criminal justice system and beyond, the Network will help shape practice, policy and public debate, while encouraging wider community engagement in the prison system. For more details contact the Prisons team - prisons@rsa.org.uk. Find out more about our Prison Learning Network Case Studies. |
In March 2008, the RSA launched the Prison Learning Network, which will be led by a high level Advisory Board of senior prison, probation staff and education providers working with key experts drawn from academia and NGOs. Links
RSA Event: Building Confidence in the Criminal Justice System
The Secretary of State for Justice delivered a keynote address at the RSA about some of the key challenges and achievements across the criminal justice system.
Jack Straw MP Speech
Video Clips:
1 - Introduction by Professor Malcolm Grant, Chair of the Prison Learning Network Advisory Board.
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2 - Promoting confidence in the criminal justice system: a community justice coalition. (Jack Straw MP)
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3 - Responding to the community and building confidence through engagement: learning from Liverpool, Salford and New York. (Jack Straw MP)
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4 - Strengthening links: Jack Straw welcomes the RSA Prison Learning Network. (Jack Straw MP)
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5 - Building confidence in non-custodial sentences: the importance of probation. (Jack Straw MP)
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