ABSTRACT
Teachers and instructors in prison can help to motivate, support and encourage some of the most vulnerable people in this country. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has stated that more people are being treated for substance misuse problems, helped with mental health difficulties and taught basic skills in our prisons than in any other public institution (Owers 2005). Combined with the paramount importance of security, these are just some of the challenges that demand more than patience, understanding and good humour from staff. High-level quality training is essential for all educators in prisons if they are to facilitate the cause of learners, who, as Uden states, are: ‘… likely to have the most to gain by engagement in education and training, while being the least likely to have benefited [in the past] or to benefit in the future’ (Uden 2003: 2).
