Who benefits?
‘64% of prisoners are reconvicted within
two years of being released’
www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk
By improving the life chances of offenders, we are playing our
part in attempting to reduce re-offending which must have positive
benefits for our whole society. We have discovered that the Toe
by Toe Reading Plan provides many valuable benefits to learners,
mentors, and to the establishments taking part.
Learners benefit because:
- the peer-mentoring approach encourages even the most apprehensive
prisoners to take part;
- learning takes place in an environment other than a classroom.
It is informal and prisoners appreciate that it is something
they have volunteered to do, rather than something that has been
imposed on them by the establishment;
- as well as learning to read, learners experience improved self-esteem
and self-confidence, which has positive effects on attitudes
and behaviour;
- as confidence grows, learners also become aware of and can
take part in other learning opportunities available to them.
Prisoners who volunteer to mentor benefit because:
- they develop skills in communication, empathy and motivating
others;
- they often experience increased self-esteem and confidence
from being in a trusted and responsible role;
- some have been inspired to study for mentoring, coaching or
learner support qualifications, and to explore job opportunities
in these areas.
Prison establishments benefit because:
- the Toe by Toe Reading Plan provides
a valuable learning tool with which to engage non-readers and
weak readers;
- it can assist in building positive relationships among offenders
and between staff and offenders;
- it can prepare prisoners to take up more formal learning opportunities
and thereby gain national qualifications;
- it contributes to ‘purposeful activity’ within
the prison;
- it can help to improve the behaviour and attitudes of prisoners.
