The Access Foundation Supports Prisoner Rehabilitation through Digital Learning with £27K Grant

Many prisoners suffer negative experiences in the world of education, often becoming disengaged with the system before entering prison. 42% finding themselves permanently excluded from school – which goes on to greatly impact their chances of securing professional employment upon release.

This lack of opportunity to gain qualifications and develop learning often masks an intellectual ability, which is hindered more in the prison environment with limited support for prisoners to learn.

DWRM works with universities and other education providers to offer a much wider range of degree courses than are currently available to students in prison. The charity focuses on the provision of study materials, tuition, and greater participation in a learning community so as to properly engage students.

It is DWRM’s mission to facilitate access to higher education for prisoners, enabling them to secure professional and financially sustainable employment, which is proven to greatly reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

This £27,000 grant funding from the Access Foundation, provides secure digital devices (provided by HMPPS approved supplier Coracle Inside) to students in prison who are engaged with university level study via partner universities.

The university study materials are available on the highly commended Coracle learning platform and each secure Chromebook is allocated to a student for the duration of their module. This means they can access the materials digitally from their cell, a vast improvement on the current situation of relying either on printed materials or on being able to use the limited number of computers in the education department.

“It has been a long-term goal of DWRM to offer digital devices and learning to students in prison and we are so excited to be able to begin this with the support of The Access Foundation.”

DWRM Director, and long-serving prisoner turned academic, Dan Whyte commented:

“This funding helps to address the significant digital disadvantage experienced by people in prison. It has been a long-term goal of DWRM to offer digital devices and learning to students in prison and we are so excited to be able to begin this with the support of The Access Foundation.”