Spending on education in Welsh prisons has declined by seven per cent over 12 months according to latest figures obtained by Plaid Cymru’sLeanne Wood.
The AM for the South Wales Central region said the figures were worrying as they could undermine efforts to rehabilitate prisoners.
A Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice showed that the education spend per head of prisoner fell markedly in the three state-run Welsh jails; most notably in HMP Swansea where £875 was spent in the 2007/08 financial year compared to just £663 the following year. HMP Cardiff also saw a decline with £915 spent in 2007/08, which was £10 more than 2008/09.
Prescoed prison, which is an open facility near Usk, Monmouthshire, bucked the trend with £750 spent on learning and skills per head of prison population in 2008/09, compared to £709 the previous year.
Parc Prison in Bridgend was not included in the figures supplied by the Ministry of Justice because it is privately-run.
The effectiveness of short prison sentences was questioned this week by NAPO, the probation officers’ union, and the Howard League for Penal Reform who both suggested that money could be better spent on supervising offenders in the community.
Ms Wood said: “I am concerned that money spent on educating prisoners has declined recently. Education can offer a way out of a downward spiral that leads to further re-offending and a life without employment.
“Many people who find themselves in the prison system lack very basic skills like literacy and numeracy. Time spent in prison should be spent usefully and it is beneficial for both prisoners and the wider community for prisoners’ time to be spent in education.
“After a decade of almost consecutive year-on-year increases in spending on prisoner education, I would be fearful that this decline marks the beginning of a trend that sees a return to a position where a pitiful amount is spent in the classrooms of Welsh jails.
“With wholesale cutbacks earmarked over the next few years, prisoner education could be an easy target for the Con/Dem coalition government. Such a move would be a retrograde step that would be counter-productive on so many levels.”
