Dr Bill Davies

When the editor of the Prison Service Journal approached us with his proposal to include the views of ex-prisoners in this Special Issue on the last 50 years, we were keen to oblige. Our first ambition was to secure five short first hand accounts, one from each decade, that is the 70s, the 80s the 90s and so on. Quite quickly it became apparent that this would not be possible. Anyone serving a sentence in the 1970s, most probably in their mid20s, would now be in their late 70s and we just couldn’t track anyone down.

This paper provides a critical view of the digital education within the global prison estate, with a specific aim of examining the extent to which we can expect the prison system of England and Wales to embrace digital pedagogy. By presenting critical sociological theories around social hierarchies and the transitions between them that education can provide (Freire, 1972; Gramsci, 1994; Kant, 1992), the paper will be able to show how while there is a desire and appetite for increasing the digital education of those who are at the lower end of the social economic divide; without buy in from the cultural hegemonic state (Gramsci. 1994), then there is no desire to aid prisoners to be able to access the global digital community. While the paper will paint a bleak picture of the digital education of prisoners, it will provide a latitudinal overview of successful programmes that are being run within the global prison estate. This in turn will show that while there is hope for a digitally accessible prison in which to aid education, it will be done so through capitalistic ideals rather than pedagogical ones.

Responding to an earlier article () by two scholars involved in convict criminology at Westminster University and a third from the US, this article mounts a defence of the British Convict Criminology group against the analysis and conclusions of the first article. We argue that convict criminology is diverse and needs to embrace different approaches that correspond to national circumstances, both in prisons and universities. We suggest that far from stagnating, convict criminology in the UK is beginning to thrive and has much to offer critical criminology. This offer is strengthened by adopting critical and convivial academic practice supportive of people’s various efforts and experiences in British prisons and British universities. Our article offers a critical engagement with issues of nomenclature, convictism and coloniality which we believe will be important for an inclusive convict criminology for the future.

Ed Cornmell is the Governor of HMP Full Sutton. Ed joined the Prison Service in 2000 as a direct entry administrator and then the Accelerated Promotion Scheme. He has worked in a number of different establishments commencing as a Prison Officer at HMP Leeds. He has previously worked in Private Office and was the Governor of HMP Everthorpe overseeing the merger with HMP Wolds to form HMP Humber. Ed became the Governor of HMP Full Sutton in October 2014, having previously been the prison’s Deputy Governor in 2007.

Abstract Purpose This paper aims to highlight the impact that Covid-19 has had on the quality of education in prisons. This study considers the restrictive approaches taken by Her Majesty’s Prison Service during this challenging time, to argue that prisoner education is not being adequately prioritised. This study highlight issues relating to the digital divide in prisons and the lack of technological advancement, which could improve educational continuity and in-cell learning. Design/methodology/approach This study provides an examination of the broad impact the national pandemic has had on prisons and punishment, Covid-19 National Frameworks and policies relating to prison restrictions, the movements within prisoner education policy, scholarship and reflections from delivering Learning Together in HMP Full Sutton, to argue that prisoners are at the bottom of the educational hierarchy in terms of delivery, innovation and prioritisation of learner needs. However, this study proposes that some of the technologically enhanced learning is a potential solution, to transform educational equity and to reduce the digital divide. Findings This study highlights that education in prisons has taken a sudden and substantial deterioration. Findings suggest that there are few signs of this improving in the immediate future due to ongoing national restrictions. The Covid-19 prison restrictions further demonstrate the neglect of prisoners' educational needs. In addition, the national pandemic has highlighted the lack of use of technology within educational delivery in prisoners. However, findings suggest that through engaging digital learning platforms and the greater inclusions of technology in prisons, they can enhance educational opportunities and inclusive experiences for isolated learners. Research limitations/implications This is a study piece with support from a review of policy and scholarship. This is not based on data collected with serving prisoners during the national pandemic. Originality/value This study provides an overview of the current restrictions and lockdowns in prison associated with the national pandemic. Contemporary consideration to this underexplored area is essential to highlight the severe deprivations of prisoners and the fundamental impact this has had on educational delivery and much anticipated progression. Nuanced approaches to increase the use of technology within prison education are considered, in light of the challenges the pandemic has spotlighted.

Background. The relation between psychopathic traits and suicide ideation (SI) is frequently discussed but little research has examined potential mechanisms underlying this association. The interpersonal theory of suicide (ITS) proposes two mechanisms in the pathogenesis of suicidal desire: thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). This study cross-sectionally tested TB and PB as possible explanatory links in the relation between psychopathic traits and SI. Method. Archival data from 784 male United Kingdom prisoners (Mage = 37.21, SD = 9.97) were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results. Psychopathic traits were indirectly associated with SI through more specific suicide-promoting processes—namely, TB and PB. More specifically, results indicated that Egocentricity and Stimulus Seeking were indirectly associated with SI through PB and TB in combination. However, results indicated specific indirect effects of TB in the relations between the Antisocial Behavior, Egocentricity, and Stimulus Seeking facets, and SI; whereas, specific indirect effects for PB were only significant in the relations between Egocentricity and Stimulus Seeking facets and SI. Conclusion. Preliminary results are consistent with the ITS and suggest that psychopathic traits may be distal risk markers for SI and provide direction for future research that could inform suicide prevention efforts among male prisoners high in such traits.

The recently released 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) classifies posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) as distinct, yet related, disorders within the spectrum of trauma and stress-related disorders. This study aimed to explore the construct validity of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), a measure of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD symptoms among prison governors (i.e., wardens in the U.S. and Canada). Trauma-exposed prison wardens (N = 409) aged 26 to 82 years (M = 50.04, SD = 7.97) provided their data online anonymously. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to evaluate the construct validity of ITQ scores. When using the five-point item response scale, our five first-order factor model produced the best fit to the data; however, when using a dichotomous item scale, the first-order two-factor PTSD and disturbances of self-organization (DSO) model produced the best fit to the data. These results indicate that item-coding and estimation methods can significantly impact conclusions about the best-fitting model for this measure among trauma-exposed prison governors.