When it comes to helping neurodiverse people learn, identification is key – and a new pilot scheme taking place in some UK prisons this year aims to screen people for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia on arrival to help support them academically.
The scheme will initially be operating at five UK prisons: Bristol, Lincoln, New Hall, Berwyn and Swaleside. It’s designed to make it easier to support people who learn and think differently, and offer a tailored support programme that reflects individual needs and makes learning easier to engage with. It’s part of an ongoing effort to reduce rates of reoffending, and could represent an important pathway to help prisoners develop their academic skills as they serve their sentences.
A study by the Shannon Trust found that around 50% of the prison population are functionally illiterate, meaning that they have a reading age of 11 or lower. 70% of these prisoners are assessed to have a chance of returning to prison if they do not receive adequate educational support, a figure which drops to 16% if they do.
Announcing the inception of the scheme last week, the UK Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC said: “I’m determined to make huge strides towards improving the education on offer inside our prison system, so that it better supports those with diverse learning needs. We need to ensure all prisoners, including those with life-long learning conditions, get the help they need to engage with their rehabilitation and reduce their chances of reoffending. This makes even more sense when we consider the fact that at least a third of all offenders in England and Wales have a learning disability or challenge, compared with an estimated 2 per cent of the population.”
The UK Ministry of Justice published statements from a number of officials from the institutes that are taking part in the pilot scheme, with a great amount of support evident for the new system. Andy Burton, Acting Governor at HMP Lincoln, said: “I’ve seen for myself the difference it makes when prisoners fully engage with formal education. That’s why I’m confident that through this initiative, we will bring learning and education to even more prisoners in a way that will really improve their chances of rehabilitation.”
In a similar vein, Mark Icke, Governor of Swaleside, said: “Education at HMP Swaleside is integral to our reducing reoffending strategy. The new specialists will work closely with our existing staff to analysis, review and develop informed ways of increasing opportunities for prisoners to change their lives around for good.”
It’s a step in the right direction – and hopefully the pilot scheme will be used to implement policy decisions at a national level. Once neurodiversities are identified, appropriate learning mechanisms can be put in place, learning plans adapted and support decisions made when it comes to an individual’s learning experience. By opening up the idea of neurodiversity support in a prison education setting, it means that we’re opening doors that otherwise had a chance of remaining closed - and hopefully, more people than ever will be able to serve their sentence and use the skills that they gained and honed to pursue opportunities in the outside world.