A chance for an inmate at a Lancaster prison to secure a university place to study law or criminology following their release is to be provided by Lancaster University.

Lancaster is one of the first universities with a prison-university partnership to offer such an opportunity.

Dr Charlotte Barlow, with the support of Chris Bayes (Lancaster University Outreach and Student Success Manager) and Martin Walker (Lancaster University Outreach Officer), has been awarded Widening Participation Advisory Group (WPAG) funding to provide a ‘Learning Together’ bursary to prison-based students at HMP Lancaster Farms.

Dr Barlow runs “Learning Together: Criminology on the ‘inside’”, a popular, innovative module involving third year criminology students working collaboratively with prison-based students in the prison environment.

Prison-based students already receive 15 Lancaster University credits (i.e. the equivalent of a third year, one term module) if they successfully complete the assessment for the course.

The Learning Together bursary goes one step further and offers one prison-based student per year an access route to study Law or Criminology at Lancaster following their release.

They will also receive a £6000 bursary - for each year of study - and widening participation support throughout their degree.

Dr Barlow says: “People who have been in prison often have limited and/ or poor experiences of education. For example, the Coates report (2016) states that 47% of prisoners report having no qualifications and one fifth of prisoners would prefer to be studying at a higher level than they were currently.

“This suggests that many prisoners have education goals and aspirations, but they have faced various barriers throughout their lives, which means that access to education is often difficult.

“The bursary will provide an access route into Higher Education at a world class institution, therefore maximising the student’s potential and future career prospects. This is widening participation in its truest form.”

Head of Lancaster University Law School Professor Alisdair Gillespie said: “We know that education is vital in preventing re-offending.

“I’m delighted that the university is offering this bursary, and that we can offer one of our Learning Together alumnus the opportunity to continue their studies with us.

“Learning Together has quickly become one of our most important modules. It provides confidence to prisoner students, and it gives an insight into prison life to our students. This bursary is a natural extension of our relationship with HMP Lancaster Farms, and allows the chosen student the opportunity to seek new challenges.”

Learning and Skills Manager at HMP Lancaster Farms Endar Kaur said: “We think the bursary is fabulous news and could really make a difference to someone wanting to pursue higher education and improve their opportunities on release.

“Higher education will enable the receiver of the bursary to develop high level skills, such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving, team work and complex communication skills.

“The bursary provides a natural pathway to continue the work of the Learning Together course beyond the prison walls. We are incredibly proud of the Learning Together project and the bursary is the next step to realising the benefits of the strong partnership we have developed between the prison and university.”

One of the participants described the course as ‘an amazing opportunity’ which made him see what he could achieve when released from prison and the importance of education.

He added that he was made to feel ‘like an equal’ in the classroom learning alongside the university students.

The WPAG funding is a competitive, university-wide process, and successful applicants receive financial support for widening participation activities.

There are various Learning Together courses across the country, all of which form part of the national ‘Learning Together Network’. The idea is to develop collaborative partnerships between universities and prisons, creating socially transformative education experiences for both prison and university-based students.