Written question asked by Lord Willetts (Conservative) on Friday, 5 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 October 2007. It was answered by David Lammy (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 October 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Education: Prisons

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the impact of attaining (a) a level 2 qualification, (b) a level 3 qualification and (c) a degree in prison has on reoffending rates.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has not made any formal assessment of the impact of attaining qualifications in prison on re-offending rates.Research sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and carried out by the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (““Rapid Evidence Assessment of Interventions that Promote Employment for Offenders””, 2005), found that interventions focused on offenders' skills and employment can make a significant difference to the employment rates of offenders, contributing to a reduction in re-offending.

Secondary information