Prisoners use time to improve education

(CNS): Some two dozen prisoners have improved their chances of staying on the outside of the prison once they are released by using their time on the inside to further their education. The prisoners join around 40 others who have already taken the external City and Guilds (C&G) vocational exams since the Cayman Islands Prison Service was approved as a City and Guilds Examination Centre. As the leading provider of vocational qualifications in the United Kingdom, City and Guilds serves a wide range of industries, from entry-level to the highest professional achievement. It is recognized by employers worldwide and has centres in over 100 countries. Prison Director Dwight Scott said the prisoners who sat exams in October did really well.

“The October exam results were especially encouraging. Seven prisoners gained First-Class passes in spreadsheet processing techniques, while eight were successful in the English for office skills examination – with two gaining First-Class passes,” he said.

Information technology-related areas such as spreadsheets are most popular, the prison director explained. “Having certificates from a recognised body should benefit these prisoners, especially in their quest for employment after release.”

The prison said that getting the local C&G accreditation followed a rigorous process, which included City & Guild officials examining the prison’s education programme and visiting to inspect the facilities. Since May 2009, some 60 prisoners have sat examinations in subjects such as numeracy, spreadsheet, word-processing, English for business communications, and English for office skills.

Franz Manderson, Chief Officer in the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs, said the portfolio and government were committed to reducing recidivism through robust rehabilitation programmes and congratulated the prisoners “for working hard towards becoming productive citizens upon their release from prison.”

Scott added that prisoners of both Northward and Fairbanks were able to take advantage of this new educational opportunity. “The prison service has long included education, especially improving basic literacy and numeracy skills, as part of our rehabilitation efforts. However, the new accreditation is a bonus to the programme,” he added.