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.