Tomorrow I am praying against (usually translated as vainly protesting about) the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2008, which the Government have introduced to remove the entitlement to university maintenance grants and loans from serving prisoners.
Why? Is it not obvious that prisoners, already being expensively accommodated at our expense, don’t need or deserve them?
Perhaps. I don’t know. Nor does the Government.
What gets my goat is that the government has rushed this temporary regulation through without knowing or seemingly caring what it’s effects will be, to cover (I presume) some minor ministerial embarrassment.
The point of prison is (in part) to rehabilitate prisoners – and a difficult and tortuous task it is too. Lots of agencies need to work harmoniously together. Prisoners taking university degrees must surely be among the best prospects for rehabilitation – so we ought to take particular care of them.
So what will the effects of this regulation be on these prisoners? Will prisoners on remand be thrown off courses? Will short-term inmates come out to discover their accommodation has been re-let, or with a debt for the rent and no funds to pay it? Will prisoners still be able to find funds to buy the books they need?
The government does not know. They brought forward the regulations without doing the work to find out. They seem to have cared nothing about all the work that others have done to help these prisoners make good. And for what?
Perhaps I’ll find out tomorrow.
I think that one of the values of this blog is highlighting issues like this that would otherwise go unremarked upon in the mainstream media. Thank you.
What a dispiriting story this is! As you suggest, I would have thought that prisoners on university courses are amongst those most promising in terms of rehabilitation. And how much will it save? Next to nothing, I would imagine.
Do you know the numbers of prisoners a) taking a degree and b) completing and passing? How much is expected to be saved?
I do not believe that remand prisoners should be entitled to the current loans and grants. There is also an issue with the experiment at HMP Coldingley, supported by Mrs Blair, where prisoners are being paid minimum wages for their work. If this experiment is extended, then there would be a perceived unfairness towards honest burger-flipping employees.
I’m intrigued by the phrase ‘designated higher education courses’ in your link. Does this mean that convicted terrorists aren’t allowed to study chemistry, for example?
While I generally support your stance, if I had to choose where to put the increasingly thinly-spread support, it would have to go towards getting the inmates up to basic literacy and numeracy standards. Whatever results, all should be allowed to complete courses.
Tiz
Perhaps in the course of the debate you could ask how many inmates are currently engaged on distance-learning courses from the Open University and Birkbeck? It would be interesting to know how many prisoners are engaged in reform through this route.
Lord Lucas, I am afraid that your blog post is confusing and unclear.
“Why? Is it not obvious that prisoners, already being expensively accommodated at our expense, don’t need or deserve them?”
So are you in favour of the Government removing these funds or not ?
Please could you edit this for clarity – it seems a very important issue, but I am not entirely clear what your standpoint on this is ?
Perhaps it would be quite correct on the Government’s part to take measures to institute a specialist board of assessment for prisoners about to undertake a university course. Those deemed fit for the challenges and responsibilities of University may be entitled to grants and all sorts of support which the Government is able to provide under the current system.
I will ask both questions.
In my opinion those punished by society for crimes against its laws are to be rehabilitated and turned into responsible, sensible and decent citizens. This cannot be expected to happen overnight, however, higher education can be quite helpful with regard to this task.
I think we as members of society who have not broken any laws should assists those who, for reasons manifold, have. Assist and counsel in every possible manner, as the greater good depends heavily upon integrating these groups of society back into its law-abiding bosom.
Hence, i strongly believe that these prisoners be offered every possibly chance to correct themselves and change their ways, at the public’s current expense. After all, education, especially in this particular case as well as in a broader sense, is an enormously important investment.
1,500 OU student prisoners, since you asked.
An excess of ministerial vanity. 25 prisoners’ rehabilitation jeopardised. They promise to have replace emt regulations available before we head for the beaches in July – with luck they’ll be better thought out.