Inmates study crime and punishment

The taxpayer last year funded Open University courses to the tune of €135,000 so that prison inmates could study the likes of creative writing, art, and even crime.

Mon, 04 May, 2015 - 01:00

Gordon Deegan

Figures provided by the Department of Justice confirm that the Irish Prison Service (IPS) last year spent €137,860 for 54 prisoners to sit courses with the Open University.

Revealed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, it works out at on average spend of €2,552 per prisoner to take one of the courses available.

This was part of a €1.1m outlay by the IPS on the prison education programme in 2014. The programme is seen as an important part of prisoners’ rehabilitation.

DISCOVER MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS

The education programme also sees inmates follow this year’s Leaving Certificate English syllabus. This year they are studying the likes of Othello and Pride and Prejudice as part of the course.

The €1.1m spend by the IPS on its education programme last year brings to €12.3m the amount spent on such programmes since 2006.

Among the Open University courses taken by inmates last year was ‘crime and justice’, with others taking a course in ‘welfare, crime, and society’.

Inmates taking the ‘crime and justice’ module explore the subjects in global and local contexts, “and in particular, the way that crime and justice are being continually redefined by global economic, social, and political change”.

Students learn about the impact of drug crime, cyber-crime, human trafficking, corporate crime, torture, and genocide.

Open University says the course “is for anyone who has a serious interest in studying one of society’s most pressing social problems”.

Other inmates are studying an Open University course entitled ‘you and your money’, which allows them to make more informed decisions about personal finances.

The course is described as a practical one that will develop students’ financial skills, helping them to plan for their retirement.

Students interested in the arts took courses entitled ‘making sense of things’, ‘the art of English’, ‘the arts past and present’, and ‘reading and studying literature’.

Prisoners are also studying Spanish, sport management, business studies, psychology, social care, and mathematics.