Prisons: Education
(asked on 1st June 2020) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what access prisoners have to educational resources during the lockdown due to the covid-19 outbreak.
In accordance with advice from Public Health England (PHE) and in order to keep all staff and prisoners safe, temporary measures have been introduced during the pandemic to restrict prison regimes and cease all non-essential activities involving groups of people. This includes education.
We are, however, investing in measures to improve the time prisoners are spending in their cells, support family contact, and incentivise good behaviour. We have worked collaboratively with our Prison Education Framework (PEF) and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) providers to develop and provide learning materials, in cell activity packs and learning packs for as many prisoners as possible. We continue to work with local providers on the development and delivery of additional support materials to meet new and emerging needs.
In Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs) the pandemic has meant the schedule of daily activities in establishments has had to be adjusted to minimise infection risk and protect children and staff. Education is currently being delivered in small groups in Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs), Oakhill STC, and Parc YOI, whilst adhering to physical distancing principles - and through provision and assessment education packs for those in other establishments.
The latest National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services was released on 2 June and provides a conditional roadmap towards how prisons will operate whilst COVID-19 remains a threat. Where certain activities can resume such as education services, we should expect them to do so with considerable restrictions and adaptations in the interests of safety, although we will look for innovative ways to deliver them. The Framework was published on GOV.UK and can be accessed via the following link;