Taking rehabilitation online could help break the reoffending cycle, but the third sector is struggling to digitally transform, writes Steve Grix, Digital Learning Specialist at NEC Digital Studio
The not-for-profit sector plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation of offenders, but many organisations are struggling to keep pace with digital transformation. Although this is understandable, as charities are working with limited budgets, this lack of change is having an impact on how well they can deliver the support needed to help people with convictions move on from their crimes.
Digital platforms are firmly in place, yet they are not being used to their full potential. The expansion of in-cell technologies creates a significant opportunity to rethink how purposeful activity is delivered. Especially as prisons require more flexible and responsive approaches to engagement, learning and rehabilitation.
But the challenge is not simply having the access to the technology. It is about wider teams having the skills, resources and confidence to share it effectively with people with convictions.
The impact on prisoner learning and rehabilitation
To add fuel to the fire, the Prisoners’ Education Trust believes planned education delivery in prisons will decline by 25% over the next 12 months. Online delivery is an opportunity to deal with provision challenges while also offering more variety of purposeful rehabilitation activity than ever.
Crucially, online delivery also means that education can continue beyond the prison gate, creating a more consistent pathway from learning in custody to employment and independence in the community.
If we are serious about reducing reoffending, we need to support charities to take advantage of the diversification opportunities available through digitalisation. However, most charities (72%) are at an early stage with digital. Only 28% of charities have a strategy in place for digital according to the Charity Digital Skills Report.
How digitalising prison education reduces pressure on the justice system
Taking prisoner education online reduces many of the costs associated with traditional face-to-face delivery as a trainer does not have to be physically present. More offenders can be brought into any training programme as scaling is cheap once the initial outlay on systems is covered.
The other upside is learners have greater flexibility to work through materials at their own pace.
One example of a not-for-profit that has recently gone digital with its offering is RIFT Social Enterprise. RIFT Social Enterprise provides support for people facing barriers to work. This is often the case with offenders as employers can be reluctant to hire people with criminal records.
To counter this RIFT Social Enterprise works on building skills that focus on self‑employment and starting a business.
Having previously used more traditional training methods, RIFT Social Enterprise worked with our team at NEC Digital to create an online version of their accredited workbook. Instead of classroom learning the courses can be completed by offenders at their own pace and without needing a teacher present.
This change has meant that the learning is available to more of those in need than ever possible before.
The programme has now been slotted into the Virtual Campus, which is installed in every prison across England and Wales. Seven prisons are already using the RIFT Social Enterprise learning resources and we are exploring making it available on the Community Campus, which is used across probation services.
This would see learning started in custody continued after release, supporting the Sentencing Act's shift towards more community-based sentences but centred on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
The move to digital means more people can access the RIFT Social Enterprise courses on things like HMRC registration, business planning, social media strategy and financial management. Plus, there are online workshops to help prison learners decide what type of business would suit their skills and interests.
RIFT Social Enterprise still have self-employment advisors on hand, so one-to-one help is possible for those offenders that need more guidance alongside the online offering.
As a former prison and probation leader, RIFT Social Enterprise’s founder Andy Gullick has found the move to online transformative.
"We knew there were those with convictions who wanted to learn but were left feeling frustrated when they couldn't access relevant educational support.
“Many of the people we work with are naturally entrepreneurial and we need to ensure we can tap into those skills, develop them and give offenders a way out. Digitalising education in prisons makes that much more achievable."
The importance of creating a system that works for all
Digital innovation is most effective when it is co-designed with the charities and frontline organisations that will use it. Technology providers may have the expertise to build a platform, but frontline organisations understand the realities of rehabilitation and what offenders need.
They know where existing processes create difficulties, what prevents people from engaging with education and what practical challenges staff face. Bringing these perspectives together makes it more likely that technology will solve a genuine problem rather than simply introducing another system for staff to manage. This is why the RIFT Social Enterprise system is showing so much promise. It was built collaboratively between the platform provider and the subject matter experts.
With the move to online, offenders will benefit from having easy access to rehabilitative resources exactly when they need it most.
Charities can then focus their manpower and finances on improving course material and exploring blended delivery that reduces face-to-face time and reduces cost. While selected specialised courses may require classroom learning, where possible moving towards fully self-paced provision is key.
Read more about NEC Digital Studio.
