Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 38
38
There is a lack of data about the impact of education and training in prisons.
Conclusion
There is a lack of data about the impact of education and training in prisons. It is important that there is in-depth analysis on what kind of programmes are most effective, and on longer-term outcomes. The Ministry of Justice must carry out a longitudinal study of prisoner destination data, comparing the prisoner outcomes of those who have received prison education with those that have not. This information should be shared with education providers, which would allow them to refine their education offer to best support the vocations and careers that former prisoners are pursuing. (Paragraph 157) 48 Not just another brick in the wall: why prisoners need an education to climb the ladder of opportunity
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
We accept this recommendation in principle. We are currently developing personal learning plans for prisoners and developing measures of progress. We are very keen to capture outcome data and use this to inform curriculum choices to make sure we are delivering the right skills and training to get prisoners into work. We are also considering our monitoring and evaluation strategy for planned initiatives such as the Employability Innovation Fund and will explore the potential for longitudinal research as part of this, alongside other potential evaluation methods. Data on the impact of interventions and the effect on the proven reoffending rate (against a matched comparator group who did not receive the intervention) is also possible via the Justice Data Lab (and this was used recently by the Prisoners’ Education Trust to evidence the impact of their study grants).