Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Paragraph: 103
The lack of controlled and secure access to proper online education is a significant barrier...
Recommendation
The lack of controlled and secure access to proper online education is a significant barrier to learning. It is stifling opportunity for improvement through education and leaving prisoners unprepared for the real world, lacking the digital skills they need for employment and life skills, and reducing their likelihood of reoffending. The digital divide between prisoners and the community is ever increasing. We cannot let this continue. The pandemic has brought into stark focus the need for prisoners to be able to work individually and in their cells. The Government must set out, by the end of the year, a date for when all prisons will be able to support broadband.
Paragraph Reference:
103
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We accept this recommendation. We teach basic digital skills in all prisons, and 60 laptops have been introduced in accelerator prisons for accessing digital content in-cell. An additional million-pound investment has been made towards introducing laptops across the prison estate. 41 establishments are now using Chromebooks to deliver remote Government Response: Not just another brick in the wall: why prisoners need an education 11 to climb the ladder of opportunity learning. In addition, we are working to provide prisoners with a managed in-cell laptop service which features transactional services (such as prison shopping) and curated content, such as access to the Virtual Campus online learning platform, which will be in place in 15 prisons by the end of September 2022. Rolling this equipment out across the whole prison service is subject to continued resourcing.