Adapted prison education: How prison education can adapt in response to COVID

This is the second in a series of two articles in which I'll look at the subject of prison education, why entrepreneurial education for prisoners is beneficial and how the prison education system can adapt to ensure it can thrive in the years ahead. You can read the previous part here.

The traditional way that prison education programmes have taken place is with in-person delivery, similar to how they would in a traditional classroom setting. Of course, this hasn’t been generally possible for external education providers since lockdown measures were introduced in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although restrictions have eased in subsequent months, the delivery of programmes is still limited and there is a looming potential for lockdown measures to increase if a spike in COVID-19 cases occurs.

Traditional education has responded to this by embracing e-learning platforms, with lessons being delivered online using video conferencing services. However, this isn’t a readily available option for prisons, where learners will have little to no access to the IT services required. Instead, we need to find alternative methods of delivering programmes.

Printed material is a staple of educational programmes and it is still possible for these items to be supplied to prisons for learners. However, this falls into the trap of providing the tools but not the support and guidance on how to apply them; it would tick a box, but not adequately serve the purpose of rehabilitation or reduced reoffending.

At Rocketeer, we’ve adapted to this challenge in a couple of ways. First, we have revamped our printed material to support self-guided learning. Alongside this, all the classes we would ordinarily deliver in person have been filmed and edited in a way that accounts for common queries as well. It’s not the same as an in-person delivery, but it allows for greater engagement and provides a means of our coaches explaining the application of the programme information in greater detail. It means a richer and more beneficial self-learning experience.

These educational packs are readily available, and prison education teams can easily invest in them and begin letting learners take the programme. However, we have also adopted two other means of supporting the core programme material, which may prove vital in the future of prison education courses.

Support in the wings

As mentioned previously, it’s the connection that the coach makes with the learners during the delivery of the courses that can inspire the most meaningful change. Rocketeer’s coaches are specially trained to make this connection. So how do you recreate that when the coaches are unable to physically be there?

The approach is a licensed programme and guidance for the prison education team in the individual prison. This means we can licence the programme to the prison and help the on-site team to deliver it in a way that they can provide support to learners. Effectively it means that the team is able to support the learners in a similar way to how our coaches would in person, which allows them to uncover the specific motivating factors and ideas that each prisoner has.

In fact, prison education teams learning this and providing this support has a greater benefit outside the context of the programme itself. Fostering a connection with the learner means the team will get to know them more, and build rapport that makes it easier to create a relationship of decency. It means more staff in the prison can relate to the prisoner, treat them better and help them to feel valued — something that is the biggest factor to rehabilitation.

Support through the gate

Even in a normal scenario, supporting a prisoner upon release is invaluable to provide lasting change. This becomes even more important in a post-COVID world where uncertainty is rife. Where many programmes fall short, and where Rocketeer has stood out in the past, is in the support once the ex-offender is out of the prison. Ex-offenders may not, statistically, come from the most welcoming background, so to offer support upon release can make the difference between reintegration and relapse.

In fact, it’s so important that I believe the adequacy and availability of through the gate support should be a requirement of most courses offered to prisons by external companies. It should be expected, rather than a beneficial bonus.

At Rocketeer, we have offered this support for a long time, but we are continuing to adapt the resources and support available to offer better help to ex-offenders. Especially as more prisons take part in our licensed agreement and deliver the courses themselves, we want to ensure our coaches are available to help every former prisoner that has pursued an education in enterprise.

For example, one way we are enhancing our through the gate support is with the imminent launch of a new e-learning platform and app on iOS and Android. These platforms will allow learners — whether they’ve enrolled for self-study, licence or in-person delivery contracts — to continue where they left off, complete our programme, receive certification and still receive support from one of our coaches, all via the app.

We have made the pivot to change how our prison programmes are structured and delivered, and we believe that in a post-COVID world it is a model for what more of these courses should look like.

For many people, prisoners are out of sight and unfortunately out of mind during the pandemic. Given that the latest figures indicate there are approximately 87,900 of them in the UK alone, we at Rocketeer believe they should certainly not be forgotten during these challenging times. Prison education teams can make sure that inmates continue to get the skills, knowledge and hope they need during this period — it’s just a matter of ensuring that courses continue in a new form. 

This article was first printed in the September edition of the Global Business Playbook.