Five years ago, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham, wrote a damning report on conditions at HMP Brixton, including the fact that there were no facilities for educating prisoners. By the following year, the situation had improved significantly - the medical wing was refurbished to create a new Skills and Education Centre, with new classrooms and a workshop. The courses on offer to the men include literacy, numeracy, IT, social and life skills, and art and pottery. As Brixton holds a high percentage of foreign nationals, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses are also available.
The men have the possibility of starting college or Open University courses, funded by the Prisoners Education Trust and co-ordinated by a distance learning tutor. This can continue if they are moved to another prison. Once they have expressed an interest in a course, they are assessed and graded, allocated a tutor and asked to sign an agreement for an individual learning plan. As an incentive, they are paid £1 for every class they attend, and £5 once they have completed their course. For those men who are most disadvantaged i.e. unable to attend classes, Brixton has pioneered the ICE programme (In-Cell Education) whereby the tutor teaches the student in his cell.
The main problem at Brixton is lack of space – there are only 11 classrooms with a maximum of 12 students per class. This means that of the 800 inmates at Brixton, only around 10% of men can engage in courses at any given time. Another problem is access to the library – it is located near the kitchen (away from the Education Centre) and staff shortages mean the men don’t often get taken there.
But there are deeper problems that are not immediately obvious at first glance. In March 2005, the Dyslexia Institute presented the findings from its latest research into hidden disabilities in the prison population. They found that 20% of the prison population were found to have a hidden disability, and over 50% had limited literacy skills that would seriously hamper their learning and work opportunities. Their director of research Dr John Rack commented that planning for prison education should recognise that half of prisoners will need support due to poor literacy and numeracy skills and,of those, 20% are likely to need specialist, individualised support. The Institute’s findings also showed that over 50% of prisoners gained no formal qualifications at school. This further supports the need for early intervention, to include better screening and specialist support in the early years for all children.
Reducing re-offending is the ultimate goal at Brixton. To give the men a chance to integrate back into society, we need to give them access to information and services that will enable them to improve their key skills, gain valuable qualifications and increase their chances of gaining employment. Brixton is moving in the right direction, but it still has a long way to go.
Gerlinde Symons