Education as chance

The way to find a job and start a new life once out of prison, in order to recover self-esteem by becoming better mothers or fathers and transmit what has been received to society. This is what a university degree grants to convicts according to Pat Jones, director of the “Prisoners’ Education Trust”, a charity organization that supports those detainees who wish to continue their studies after Middle School. Silvia Guzzetti interviewed her for SIR Europe.How does your Trust work?“We finance detainees’ education after the age of sixteen, after their GCSEs. Up to this age, there is public funding, however, those who wish to get a diploma or a BA need our financial support. We are the most important body operating in this field. Parts of the funding are provided by the government. But it’s not enough, since most of the money is directed to those without education bases. We sponsor “Open University” courses in particular, granting all sorts of degrees through distant learning”.What does your work consist in, in concrete terms? “In every prison we have contacts with the staff in charge of the convicts’ education. In some prisons there are officers in charge of distant learning, they encourage the detainees to avail themselves of our funds. All they need to do is send a letter explaining their projects with realism, listing their previous experiences and qualifications. This is important to rule out a specialization connected to the crime committed by the prisoner in question”. Why distant learning?“It’s appropriate for the detainees who can’t leave the detention centre for security reasons. It gives them continuity, even if they are transferred from one prison to the next, it provides a wide range of subjects, over one hundred, and enables them to put to profit the time they have spent in prison”. Do you agree with the Government’s decision that most of the funds for convicts’ education must go to those who have to complete their Middle School diploma? “It’s understandable if we consider that 55% of the convicts don’t have schooling foundations, even though in this way 45% of detainees who do and wish to continue studying are left out. In this moment we sponsor over 2300 prisoners per year but we are compelled to reject an equal number due to lack of funding. In Europe, 3-5% of detainees completed their university education, whereas in England they represent only 1.5%. We’re lagging behind”. Why should a convict get himself a diploma if he is then bound to stay in prison for a long time? “A diploma or a degree provides them with new skills and increase their self-esteem. Many declared they want to help others avoid making their same mistakes. A convict in Kent had no schooling qualification when he was sentenced to prison, but managed to get a diploma. He said that when he passed the final exam, his family was finally proud of him for the very first time. A woman who was a drug-addict and had spent many years in rehabilitation centres but who had never read a book, studied in prison for two years and now dreams to be a zoologist”. Is education the chance for redemption?“Detainees committed a crime, and must pay for this, however they are often the result of a disadvantaged environment. 55% have divorced parents and had trouble at school, 70% have mental health problems, 45% were unemployed, and 50% were without a home while 30-40% had learning problems that nobody had realized. Prisons also respond to the government’s need to prove that offenders will be punished”. Do you give the same chance to convicts in Juvenile prisons? “We give them the possibility of following distant learning courses, advice on the subject they wish to chose and how they can progress in their career. We also plan to train tutors who took distant learning courses and that can support those who have just begun. To date there are 12 youth who assist their peers”. Do you cooperate with Churches? “Ours is a secular charity, however we have close relations with the Churches. Our administrators include practising Catholics. The Churches, the Catholic Church in particular, have a natural interest for detainees and are very sensitive to their needs. A significant question was posed by a representative of the Catholic world: “Do we view prisons as warehouses where the wrongdoers are to be stored, or as greenhouses where the rehabilitated can see a new life?”.