Prison design and its impact on educational outcomes for prisoners with additional learning needs: a comparative study.
This PhD research aims to examine the psycho-social and environmental factors which impact the uptake, completion and experience of prison education programmes for prisoners with additional learning needs within different prison environments. Evidence will be generated on if, and how, differing prison environments are conducive to learning for prisoners with additional learning needs to enable positive educational outcomes.
Research suggests that engaging in education and work programmes in prison can reduce the risk of recidivism and help prisoners to secure employment, a protective factor against reoffending. Prisoners with additional learning needs, however, can face challenges during and post imprisonment. Services within prisons should address the needs of this cohort of prisoners to facilitate successful engagement in education and work programmes and better equip them for release. This research will contribute to the
evidence base on which aspects of a prison’s design facilitate or hinder prisoners with additional learning needs from engaging with education programmes effectively.
Secondary analysis of existing management information data collected by HMPPS will be conducted to understand the availability, format and delivery of education programmes across the male prison estate. Subsequently, primary research will investigate and compare which elements of two differing prison designs facilitate, or hinder, learning experiences for prisoners with additional learning needs. Views and experiences from both prisoners with additional learning needs and education practitioners working in the
prisons will be gathered to understand how the prison environment impacts their learning.
The evidence gathered will contribute to future policy discussions about effective prison design.