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| Prison education must be 'overhauled', Michael Gove says | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Education in prisons must be overhauled in order to tackle a "persistent failure to reduce re-offending", the justice secretary is to say. | Education in prisons must be overhauled in order to tackle a "persistent failure to reduce re-offending", the justice secretary is to say. |
| Michael Gove will stress in a speech that helping prisoners become literate and numerate makes them "employable". | Michael Gove will stress in a speech that helping prisoners become literate and numerate makes them "employable". |
| Mr Gove will suggest "earned release" for inmates in England and Wales who work hard on their education. | |
| Prison officers said they had heard similar "rhetoric" before and questioned how the plans would work. | |
| Earlier this week, chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said the government's "rehabilitation revolution", launched five years ago at the outset of the coalition, had not even started. | Earlier this week, chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said the government's "rehabilitation revolution", launched five years ago at the outset of the coalition, had not even started. |
| He said in his annual report that prisons were in their worst state for a decade and some jails were "places of violence, squalor and idleness". | |
| Mr Gove is expected to say that there are "technical and complex policy questions" about how change should be implemented and he would be "open to good ideas". | |
| Prison education, work and re-offending | Prison education, work and re-offending |
| In his first speech on the issue since being appointed as justice secretary in May, Mr Gove is expected to say that society is collectively to blame for the failure to "redeem and rehabilitate" offenders, and he will call for an end to the "idleness and futility" of prison life. | In his first speech on the issue since being appointed as justice secretary in May, Mr Gove is expected to say that society is collectively to blame for the failure to "redeem and rehabilitate" offenders, and he will call for an end to the "idleness and futility" of prison life. |
| The justice secretary says he wants to look at "earned release" for offenders who are committed to education and gain qualifications that are respected by employers. | The justice secretary says he wants to look at "earned release" for offenders who are committed to education and gain qualifications that are respected by employers. |
| If prisons moved to such a system, it would be a major change from the current policy under which most prisoners are automatically released on licence at the halfway point of their sentence. | If prisons moved to such a system, it would be a major change from the current policy under which most prisoners are automatically released on licence at the halfway point of their sentence. |
| Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "The challenge now is to translate this marked new reflective tone set by the Justice Secretary into sensible policy and to create a just, humane and effective penal system." | Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "The challenge now is to translate this marked new reflective tone set by the Justice Secretary into sensible policy and to create a just, humane and effective penal system." |
| How educated is the prison population? | |
| Source: Ministry of Justice, 2012 | |
| 'Missed opportunity' | |
| Jonathan Robinson, who was jailed for 17 weeks for theft in 2011 and now campaigns for education in prisons, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there were "a great many prisoners" who were "dying to engage" in training. | |
| He said: "During a totally deserved prison sentence I saw missed opportunity after missed opportunity after missed opportunity for rehabilitation in prison via education. | |
| "I am thrilled that Mr Gove's initial toe in the water on his prison policy is that he's flagged education as the key." | |
| Steve Gillan, the general secretary of the Prison Officers Association union, said it "cautiously" welcomed the proposals but said "the devil will be in the detail". | |
| "I've been around the prison system a long time, in excess of 25 years, and I've heard all of this rhetoric before over 25 years and it's always failed. | |
| "Now in order to make it work there's got to be clear policies, a clear understanding and the resources given to it to make it work." | |
| He added that it was also important to address the "root causes" of people going to prison, such as drug and alcohol dependency and mental illness. | |
| 'One nation' | |
| "No government serious about building one nation, no minister concerned with greater social justice, can be anything other than horrified by our persistent failure to reduce re-offending," Mr Gove is expected to say at the event in London, hosted by the Prisoner Learning Alliance. | "No government serious about building one nation, no minister concerned with greater social justice, can be anything other than horrified by our persistent failure to reduce re-offending," Mr Gove is expected to say at the event in London, hosted by the Prisoner Learning Alliance. |
| "In prisons there is a - literally - captive population whose inability to read properly or master basic mathematics makes them prime candidates for re-offending. | "In prisons there is a - literally - captive population whose inability to read properly or master basic mathematics makes them prime candidates for re-offending. |
| "Ensuring those offenders become literate and numerate makes them employable and thus contributors to society, not a problem for our communities. | "Ensuring those offenders become literate and numerate makes them employable and thus contributors to society, not a problem for our communities. |
| "The failure to teach our prisoners a proper lesson is indefensible. I fear the reason for that is, as things stand, we do not have the right incentives for prisoners to learn or for prison staff to prioritise education. And that's got to change." | "The failure to teach our prisoners a proper lesson is indefensible. I fear the reason for that is, as things stand, we do not have the right incentives for prisoners to learn or for prison staff to prioritise education. And that's got to change." |
| Mr Gove is also expected to use the speech to propose giving governors more control and rewarding them if offenders do well. | Mr Gove is also expected to use the speech to propose giving governors more control and rewarding them if offenders do well. |
| He will say that one of the "biggest brakes on progress" in all prisons is the "lack of operational autonomy and genuine independence enjoyed by governors" - who are often set very tight criteria on how prison life should be managed. | He will say that one of the "biggest brakes on progress" in all prisons is the "lack of operational autonomy and genuine independence enjoyed by governors" - who are often set very tight criteria on how prison life should be managed. |
| "Yet we know from other public services - from the success of foundation hospitals and academy schools - that operational freedom for good professionals drives innovation and improvement. So we should explore how to give governors greater freedom - and one of the areas ripest for innovation must be prison education." | "Yet we know from other public services - from the success of foundation hospitals and academy schools - that operational freedom for good professionals drives innovation and improvement. So we should explore how to give governors greater freedom - and one of the areas ripest for innovation must be prison education." |
| Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Are you a prison employee or ex-offender? Please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. | Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Are you a prison employee or ex-offender? Please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |