Distance Education: Prisoners

In relation to the provision of distance education to prisoners in your country, which of the following four categories apply, and if they do, the number of prisoners who were enrolled in each category for the year above:

- the Open University (if there is one):

- distance programmes from conventional universities:

- official government distance training courses:

- private distance training course:

If data is not available in the categories above, then in the year above how many prisoners were enrolled in any type of distance education course, in your country:

I would be grateful if you could fill in this questionnaire and send me any other relevant information on the provision of distance education to prisoners in your country and the numbers enrolled for the latest available year.

If you have any questions, I can be e-mailed at:

deirdre_at_statlan.ucd.ie

The replies received from the member states are listed below.

The University for Distant Learning in Germany, D-58084 Hagen Konkordiastrasse 5, is at present doing a research study with the topic 'Distant learning during Imprisonment'.

The Federal Ministry for Justice replies as follows to the enclosed photocopied enquiry received through the Austrian Embassy in Dublin on the subject of Distance Education in the Austrian penal system.

Adult inmates in Austrian penal institutions (prisons) who are interested in and capable of further education can participate in distance learning courses when they show evidence of the necessary educational background and a serious desire to study. When there is a demand, suitable courses .are held in the prisons. Prisoners are currently following courses and distance study programmes of this kind. The present courses include technical, vocational and business subjects, typewriting and languages.

There are, however, no statistics of the number of prisoners following distance study programmes.

As records are not being kept elsewhere, the list of questions cannot be circulated further as requested.

The Federal Ministry for Justice regrets that it can give no further information but wishes to inform you that the Distance University - Polytechnic - at D 58084 Hagen, Konkordiastrasse 5, is currently carrying out a research project on the subject of Distance Education in Prison.

To be forwarded to the Austrian Embassy in Dublin.

23 February 1997

For the Federal Minister

Fries

There were 2 names underneath this e-mail, Chantal Faidhebe (who is in charge of the prisoners in the French-speaking community of Belgium) and Denis Van Lerberghe, Attache (whose title is Communaute Française de Belgique, Service de l'Enseignement a Distance (EAD)).

Both were from:

Boulevard Emile Jacqmain, 162
1000 Bruxelles

Below is a questionnaire which was sent in addition to the details above, it provides interesting information.(the original questionnaire of which this one is a smaller version has been developped by ZIFF in the framework of the study by Ommerborn and Schuemer, 1996)

1. Name of your institutions	Ministère de la Communauté Française Enseignement à distance  WTC Tour 1-17 e'tage 0B59  Bd E. Jacqmain, 162  1000 Bruxelles
Country/State	Belgique
Phone	2/207.75.69 (cl Faidherbe)   2/207.75.67 (Mc A Louis)
Fax	2/203.01.67
2. Type/level of your distance teaching courses?   Basic/primary and secondary school level:  Others: which? Informatique	125  8
3. Estimated number of prison inmates enrolled for courses at your institutions:   Number of prison inmates:	1 200
4. Are the prison inmates specially addressed as a target group in your institution?	Yes. They benefit from advantages social and personalised course flexibility
5. Are the following specially designed or developed particularly for the prison inmates as a separate target group?   1. Courses   2. Programmes   3. Teaching materials	No   Yes   No
6. Which instructional media are used and mainly used for the prison inmates?   1. Written teaching materials   2. Audio media/tapes   3. Video	Used Mainly used Yes   Yes   Yes
7. Do the prison inmates get regular tutorial help?	Yes   Once a month: Programme Horizon  Irregularly: á la demand/on demand
8. Does your institution adopt special counselling/tutoring strategies for this special target group?	Yes
9. Does your institution run study centres in prisons?	No
10. Are there special exam procedures or regulations for this target group?	No
11. Are the prison inmates required to work regularly for their living (in addition to their study work)?	No
12. Do the prison inmates have to pay fees for participating in your study programmes?	No

Ministry of Justice,
Dept. of Prisons and Probation,
Klareboderne 1,
1115 Copenhagen

and received a reply from:

Kaj Raundrup,
undervisningsleder,
Direktoratet for Kriminalforsorgen,
Klareboderne 1,
1115 Kobenhavn

The 2 sections the Open University and Distance Programmes from Conventional Universities had no response.

Under Official Government Distance Training Courses:
Mathematics and English - 2 prisoners.
Common educational centre for adult education - 4 prisoners.

Under Private Distance Training Courses:
Holder of a diploma in specialised business studies - 3 prisoners.

(No other information was received and I was not told which year this data applied to, but the reply was dated March 4, 1997.)

The replies from the Danish authorities did not specify the year for the statistical information it furnished. The reply was dated March 4 1997

Dept. of Justice,
Vankeinhoito - Osasto
Hitsaajankatu 12,
PL 62,
00811,
Helsinki

I received a reply from K.J. Lang (Director General) and Kirsti Kuivajarvi (Senior Inspector) stating

"Unfortunately we are not able to pass you wide information dealing with distance studies of our prisoners. That is because such information has not been collected in Finland. As far as we know distance studies are not very widely carried out in our institutions. Most education and vocational training in our prisoners is organised inside our prisons. In addition to this some prisoners are granted permission to go to outside education institutes.

Certainly there exists in our prisons students who individual educational programmes included distance -studies. For instance when you are trained by the apprenticeship system in prison work it is likely that you study at least part of the theoretical studies by distance learning in co-operation with an educational institute.

A couple of years ago there was a very beneficial project with one of our closed central prisons and the local university. A small group of prisoners studied the lowest university grade in social sciences by distance-studies. Audio-visual methods were also used in providing some lectures by university teachers. The experiences of the prisoners, the teachers and prison personnel were very positive. At least one prisoner from that group has carried on his studies (in the beginning by distance-studies) and is nowadays finishing the Master degree. Unfortunately the prison didn't find another group to begin the studies."

Dept. of Justice,
96 Mesogiion,
Athens.

and received a reply from:

Sevi Papamitropoulou,
Superior in the Direction of adult's penitentiary education.
(of the above address)

It stated "We want to let you know that it is impossible for us to complete this questionnaire because there are no prisoners in Greece enrolled in a distance education course".

In this framework, instruction has followed the principle objective as defined by the circular signed by the above directorates, the 27 April 1995. These objectives are:

basic formation aimed at prisoner's poverty and illiteracy
training of minors and young detainees
all other secondary and third level training of instructors with the objective of improving training initiatives

During 1996, 303 full-time teachers and roughly 700 part-time give more than 9,000 course hours per week at all levels of instruction, giving a total of 340,000 hours throughout the academic year.

In the national framework the medium is 25 hours of training per 150 detainees.

More than 290,000 detainees have been enrolled in various training programmes;

More than 190,000 people have followed courses aimed at combating illiteracy. (7,800) were at a fundamental level; 1909 of these received a certificate of general formation.

Education at a distance

• CNED
• the prisons authority.

The training needs of the prison population.

The population in the prison environment in the vast majority of cases possess a level of education or qualification which is very weak.

• it is estimated that 60% of the detainees have not passed primary studies, amongst them, the problem of illiteracy is more elevated than in the general population.
• half of the other 40% have a level of qualification, IAP or BEP, and could develop or follow a professional formation, and the other half can enjoy training for University.

Basic Training is asourect in all of the penitential establishments (except one) in accordance with D 452 of the above code. It is primarily directed to young detainees, illiterates and underqualified.

This right to training should permit detainees to be as close to a common right. The partnership between/with the Ministry of Education, like those with the Minister for Labour or health quarantee the exercise of a common right during the period of detention.

Laroche Genevieve,
Govenor's office,
Centre Penitentiaire Luxembourg,
B.P. 35
L-5201 Sandweiler.

The letter stated "There is only 1 prisoner following distance education courses in Luxembourg. The distance courses are not organised by the prison itself, but either the prisoners themselves contact a foreign university or the Luxemburg Private Employee Chamber organises some courses for the prisoner. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide more data about distance courses as the prisoners do not show a big interest in that kind of education."

The address of the Private Employee Chamber is:

Chambre des Employes Prives,
13, rue de Bragance,
L-1255 Luxembourg.

In the 1995/96 academic year a total of 694 students applied to study university courses, of these 76 were outside UNED's programme. Therefore the number of students admitted to University through the programme is 618; they are distributed in the following way:

478 students (The agreement signed by the Directorate General of Penitentiary Institutions of the Ministry of Justice and the Secretary of State for Universities and Research)

• 211 Admissions Course for Mature Students ( over 25 years)
• 97 studying Law
• 18 studying Geography and History
• 4 studying Philology
• 11 studying Economics
• 11 studying Business
• 2 studying Physics
• 3 studying Chemistry
• 7 studying Industrial Engineering
• 12 studying Political Science
• 16 studying Sociology
• 46 studying Psychology
• 10 studying Education
• 2 studying Philosophy
• 16 studying Communications
• 13 studying the Programme of Open Teaching at a Distance
• 2 doctoral students

• 54 Admissions Course for Mature Students ( over 25 years)
• 16 studying Law
• 6 studying Geography and History
• 2 studying Business
• 2 studying Industrial Engineering
• 2 studying Political Science
• 4 studying Sociology
• 15 studying Psychology
• 2 studying Education
• 2 studying Philosophy
• 1 studying Philology
• 1 studying Economics
• 2 studying Chemistry
• 5 studying Communications

• 5 Admissions Course for Mature Students ( over 25 years)
• 6 studying Psychology
• 1 studying Sociology
• 3 studying Law
• 1 studying Geography and History

• 4 Admissions Course for Mature Students ( over 25 years)
• 3 studying Law
• 3 studying Communications

The same as in previous years, the tendency to concentrate the students in the so called Primary Centres with the aim of attending better to their academic needs through the classes given and carrying out the corresponding examinations

The Primary centres of the past are

Almería, Barcelona-Hombres, Brians, Cuatro Caminos, Jaen, Las Palmas, Madrid I, Madrid V, Málaga, Nanclares de Oca, Ponent, Segovia Cumplimiento, Sevilla II, Tenerife II, Valencia II, Valladolid and Zaragoza.

Other centres have been the site for tests

Bonxe (Lugo), Badajoz, Madrid II, Logroño, Alcalá Militar y Villabona.

On the other hand, Spanish detainees in foreign penitentiaries have taken exams as provided for in the relevant treaties

-France

-Egypt

-Venezuela

-Panama

-Andorra

During the 1995-96 academic year - 63 tutorials/tutors were allocated to the primary centres. 7.544.681Ptas was paid for this.

The Home Office,
50 Queen Anne's Gate,
London, SW1

Received a reply from:

Adrian Fellows,
Executive Officer,
Home Office Prison Service,
Calthorpe House,
Hagley Road,
Birmingham B16 8QR

I received a letter which stated:

"Since the contracting out of prison education in 1993, the provision of prison education programmes in England and Wales has been provided by contracts who were awarded the education contract for one or more establishments. Education programmes are ordered from the contractor by individual government to meet local needs.

Details of current education courses or distance learning programmes are not generally held centrally with the exception of the Prison Service Open University Scheme which has 280 enrolment for 1997."

I also received a list of current education contracts, their phone numbers and faxes. The list contained over 40 such contractors.