Is an inmate’s first step towards a transformative journey of education is a game of chess?
One man – James Tweed – and his team are quietly working across British prisons preparing inmates for life on the outside with laptops they can use in their cells. The service is transforming lives digitally, often saving taxpayers money, and this process often starts with a game of chess.
The laptops come via Tweed’s firm – Coracle’s education technology. Cambridge-based Coracle is now in 90% of prisons in England and Wales and, according to a new report, is benefiting taxpayers to the tune of £35 million per year.
Discussing the uptake of technology, Coracle CEO James Tweed says prisoners are often reluctant to learn at first. Yet something magical happens when they start to play chess.
“It gives them something to hope for, something to work on and chess is often a gateway to a world of learning,” Tweed explains in a statement sent to Digital Journal.
“A lot of prisoners start off with the computerised chess game,” Tweed adds. “Chess is incredibly popular in prisons but the version we offer has the dual benefit of acting as a gateway to the educational pathways available through Coracle.”
The methods have been evaluated through a new independent report. The study, conducted by crime and justice consultancy Crest Advisory, has revealed that for every £1 spent on Coracle’s services, £16 was recouped by taxpayers and the wider economy.
The report also found that the service reduces prison assaults by almost 2,000 incidents per year, including more than 200 serious assaults.
Another benefit is getting ex-offenders into work. Coracle’s education technology has, according to the findings, helped nearly 1,200 more ex-prisoners into work within six months of release.
Tweed says of the report: “We always believed we were making an impact but even I was astounded by the amount of value to taxpayers.”
He highlights, in particular: “Violence in prisons can be appalling both for staff and prisoners. It also prevents anything meaningful or worthwhile taking place and is very expensive in terms of medical treatment and time off work. So the fact that we are doing something that reduces this particular issue is very welcome news.”
In terms of those who are engaging with the digital led initiative, several prisoners have given positive reviews of their own experiences, including these anonymised comments from the Nottingham Trent report: “I’m hoping it opens the door to a chance… It felt like I was actually doing something useful with my time rather than just sitting around doing nothing.”
Another inmate remarked how prisoners spend most of their time ‘banged up’ with nothing to do all day apart from watching the prison TV, and said education was a very good alternative. “I’d much rather be reading something on a Chromebook than watching the TV,” the prisoner observes.
According to Tweed, this is the time to invest further in prison education. “Our prisons are in total crisis and we desperately need a long term solution that reduces crime and lowers the prison population,” he said. “Endlessly building more prisons is not the answer.
“Investing in education is proven to be the best way to cut reoffending and we have never needed this more than we do now. I urge the government and politicians to read this report and act upon it.”
