The education system in many Western countries – particularly Britain and America – is in turmoil, geared more towards quantifying the “intelligence” of students than teaching practical, beneficial skills. Unfortunately, this lack of attentiveness often leads teens to leave school with poor prospects, unable to function in the real world. To many, the concept of success is nothing more than a pipe dream, reserved only for the middle and upper classes. And sometimes crime seems like the only answer.
Britain has the biggest prison population in Western Europe, rising incarceration rates, and a serious overcrowding problem. It‘s a flawed system that’s become more about turnaround than rehabilitation. Typically, two years after release, only a third of ex-offenders can find a job, and nearly half re-offend within a year. With such poor prospects it seems like prisoners are set up to fail.
We’re asking the wrong questions and addressing the wrong issues.
What we should all be asking ourselves is, “what are we trying to achieve with prison?” While many will state that it’s merely a method of punishment, nothing more, nothing less, it’s difficult to understand how relinquishing liberty will ever reduce or “solve” the problem of crime. Shouldn’t prison provide an opportunity to rectify issues within society, particularly with regards to those who have been failed by the education system?
Approximately 48% of prisoners have the equivalent literacy skills of an 11 year old child. Many don’t know how to read or write and, as adults, feel a sense of shame admitting this to others. People are not inherently bad and don’t commit serious crimes for the sake of it. More often than not there’s a deeper reason for their misadventures; one that could have spawned earlier in life, or resulted as a byproduct of a deep rooted social issue.
We need a system that benefits all citizens.
In Britain the prison system costs taxpayers around £4.5 billion per year; in America this figure rises to roughly $80 billion per year ($260 per resident). From an economic standpoint this is a phenomenal waste of money. Perhaps if we – as in society – changed our viewpoint and stopped regarding prisons as a burden, we could shift the paradigm and create a system that not only works for citizens, but benefits us all.
Surely the best way to give back to communities is to help those who don’t have a support system already in place? In a 2013 study conducted by RAND, correctional education was shown to reduce “recidivism” – the process of re-incarceration – by 43 percent. In addition, prisoner education programs and vocational training increased employment rates by between 13 and 28 percent. While running such programs does require capital, the investment pales in comparison to housing an inmate, and allows ex-convicts to give something valuable back to communities.
We can’t expect positive results without a proper education system.
It’s truly shocking how many prisoners lack a basic understanding of finance. Many don’t know how to open a bank account and aren’t sure whether or not they’e even allowed to have a debit card. Additionally, the concept of gaining real assets and a legitimate income is so far removed from their previous way of life that it seems impossible to attain upon release. We can’t take the system for granted and expect ex-prisoners to simply know how to conduct themselves when they’re no longer institutionalized.
Charities like Principles In Finance, who deliver educational programs such as Cells Pitch (CellsPitch.com) – formed by ex-banker Simone Haynes – has been trying to address these issues by helping prisoners harness their creative and entrepreneurial minds. The organization runs three week development programs, teaching prisoners how to start and run a business, create products and services, develop communication skills and pitch to investors, among other skills. At the end of each course, participants pitch their idea to a panel of guest judges and the winner is awarded £500 to get their idea off the ground. Haynes states that “If an inmate leaves prison with a blueprint to start their own business, a quality education and a mentor to support, they’re hardly the only ones who will benefit.”
Fundamentally, instead of turning our backs on prisoners and ex-convicts, we should learn to integrate them deeper into society. After all, prisoners are hugely valuable and can contribute a great deal to our communities if we just give them a chance to demonstrate their potential.