Insidetime April 2016
Information // Education 35
www.insidetime.org
Why education is a must
for women in custody
Britain’s Failing Prisons and
is patron of the charity
Working Chance, which helps
women find employment after
release. Writing for PET on
International Women’s Day
Vicky called for more higher-level qualifications and
controlled internet access:
Prisoners show power of
expression at Warren Hill
In February, Rod Clark was invited to Warren Hill for an
afternoon of poetry, drama and song created and presented by prisoners
Rod Clark
Chief Executive
Prisoners’ Education Trust
The showcase, called Expression, was the
brainchild of a team of three learners, led by
writer in residence Julian Earwaker. Five
months in the planning, Expression event gave
a platform for a number of prisoners, mostly
first-time performers, to express their thoughts
and feelings through words and performance.
One piece, by a prisoner named Edgar, dealt with
the choices and emotions of a prisoner approaching release and walking the invisible
line between punishment and rehabilitation,
forever lost in translation. Edgar had achieved
an Open University degree in Psychology with
the support of PET and then had “fallen in love
with the arts” through working with Synergy
Theatre. He had produced this dramatised version of his fiction as part of an advanced creative writing course. Edgar said he looked forward to continuing his writing and working
with theatre after his release and graduation in
the summer.
Edgar’s work picked up the theme of family,
which also came out strongly in many other
pieces. The song, I Don’t Know, written by Rolly
and powerfully performed by a talented trio of
prisoners, explored the feelings of a prisoner
on an indeterminate (IPP) sentence unable to
tell his son when he would come home: emotions and emotions on the phone / ‘cause the
answers to these questions I don’t know? Julian
Earwaker, who has been the writer in residence
at the prison since 2010, said the festival was a
“huge success”.
“Men who had never performed or displayed
work previously displayed their courage - and
no little talent - before an enthusiastic audience
of invited guests, staff and prisoners. There
were tears of laughter and lumps in the throat
from some emotionally charged material.”
The prisoners were supported in their performances by Chickenshed Theatre, who bring
theatre and performance to deprived communities and excluded groups. Chickenshed are
bringing the words and recordings of the
Warren Hill prisoners to engage with groups
of children in East London.
Overall, ‘Expression’ was a moving testament
to the creative power of words to help oneself
and others. In the words of I Write, a poem by
Stephen: I write to be remembered for my
words / rather than my dark deeds… I write
because I have to… I write because I can…
Vicky Pryce served a short
sentence in HMP Holloway
and HMP Eastwood Park in
2013. She has now returned to
her job as an economist, but
has also published a book:
Prisonomics: Behind bars in
Providing education
and training in the
prison context is difficult.
When someone enters prison
they have often had all of their
self-confidence and self-esteem taken away. Women are
likely to be distracted, many
are unfamiliar with formal education, and prisons are often
at a loss about how to occupy
them with vocational work.
Many women find themselves
moved from prison to prison,
and required to learn the same
thing again and again. Some
want to learn at a much higher
level than is offered inside
prison, but you can’t do much
of this if you don’t have internet access.
A prison sentence costs
women, their families, the
economy and society dear. We
are sending too many people
to prison when other types of
non-custodial sentences may
be more appropriate. But, if we
must send women to prison,
the surest way to cut reoffending is by ensuring that they
have better access to education while there. And I don’t
mean just basic numeracy and
literacy skills, though that is
important of course. There
needs to be more emphasis on
higher levels of attainment including tertiary education for
those spending longer in prison. Greater access to the internet, sensibly controlled and
monitored by the prison authorities, would make
a huge difference.
A sporting chance in custody?
Do you face hurdles to exercising?
Or is sport helping you to meet your goals?
In an Olympic year, the world’s eyes are on
sport, and PET’s attention is on how exercise
can help learning within prison and after
release. PET recently became a member of the
National Alliance of Sports for the Desistance
of Crime, which is a voice for the power of
sport in preventing reoffending.
If you are involved in any sports in prison we
would love to hear from you. We are keen to
find out about your experiences including:
1. What sport or exercise are you involved in?
2. In your own words, what general impact is
the sport or exercise having for you?
3. Do you feel like you have enough opportunities to take part in sports and exercise?
Please answer the questions above and return
your answer to FREEPOST: Prisoners’ Education
Trust. Please also let us know your age and
prison.
If you would like advice or funding to study a distance learning course or tell us about your experiences of prison education
write to FREEPOST Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) or call 0203 752 5680.
We take pride in providing a full range of criminal and prison law services.
Prison Law services include:
• Parole Reviews
• Life Sentence Reviews
• IPP Reviews
• Recall
• Sentence Planning
• Re-categorisation
• Category A Reviews
• Adjudications
• Home Detention Curfew
• Judicial Review
If you require assistance with any Prison Law issues,
whether or not listed above, please contact our specialist
Prison Law Solicitor - Hannah Rumgay
At Tates we never
use unqualified
caseworkers.
All prison law work
is undertaken by a
qualified solicitor
who specialises
in Prison Law.
Tates
2 Park Square East
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS1 2NE
0113 242 2290