The scale of the problem is reinforced in the report:
- 47% of prisoners say they have no qualifications. This compares to 15% of the working age general population in the UK.
- 21% of prisoners reported needing help with reading and writing or ability with numbers.
With such a lack of skills, it is clear that significant support is needed in getting prisoners online and preparing them for work outside of prison.
The provision of internet access to prisoners can not only help develop their skills and ensure they are not left behind after they have served their sentence. It can also help to further their education. The growth of Massive Open Online Learning Courses (MOOCs) provides the opportunity for opening up education for all free of charge (provided they are online of course).
Prison libraries could play a key role in ensuring access is provided and the technical skills of prisoners are developed. However, they are hampered by a number of restrictions placed upon them. Many sites are blocked, including blogs, social media and sometimes government websites. Prisoners are only provided access to standalone computers that are not connected to the internet and only permit the user to play games or write legal letters. That is, of course, if their prison is lucky to have any computers at all.
The opportunities available online to learn new skills, not to mention the opportunity to learn basic ICT skills with the help of a trained prison librarian, can play a significant role in reducing the re-offending rate and provide former prisoners with the opportunity to make a more positive contribution to society. If we want to reduce reoffending and ensure a more equitable society, then we need to address the digital divide that exists not only across our communities, but between our communities and those that have been excluded from them. It will prove controversial with many, but as the world rapidly changes around us, we need to ensure that those excluded can be reintegrated into a world that can be very different from the one they were excluded from.
This is an edited version of an article first published on Informed. The full article is available here.
Image courtesy of Svadilfari via Flickr.