Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 28
28
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 123
Reoffending is lower in prisoners who participate in higher education.
Recommendation
Reoffending is lower in prisoners who participate in higher education. The Government must remove the “six-year rule” so that prisoners on long sentences can apply for higher education courses earlier in their sentence. This would give them motivation during their sentence and keep them focused on their potential employment opportunities following release.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts this recommendation and states that there are already good examples of partnerships between education and training providers and prisons and it will continue to build further relationships through our Employability Innovation Fund.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
123
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
We reject this recommendation. Loan support is available only for prisoners who are within six years of their release date, in order to strike a balance between supporting prisoners reasonably close to their release date and ensuring that the taxpayer has a reasonable expectation that the prisoner benefiting from the loan would be able to repay it. We support the principle of prisoners having access to the high-quality training they need to progress and build a brighter future. In doing so, we need to prioritise initiatives that will make the greatest difference to rehabilitation and reducing reoffending - in particular, apprenticeships and skills bootcamps which will ensure prisoners have the skills and experience they need to move onto secure employment in the longer-term. We consider these initiatives will benefit many more prisoners than an amendment to the six-year rule. Evidence shows that prison leavers in work are significantly less likely to re- offend as indicated by the Education Committee’s Report in paragraph 126.
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