Written evidence submitted by The Reading Agency (RAR0053)

About The Reading Agency  www.readingagency.org.uk

The Reading Agency works every day towards a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life – from toddlers to children to young adults, prisoners and older people – irrespective of age or economic background. It advocates that reading can tackle life's big challenges, from social mobility to mental health.

Why are we responding to this Inquiry

The Reading Agency's targeted programmes deliver the transformative power of reading in prisons. Our programmes are designed to develop reading confidence, support skills and learning, and promote wellbeing for all prisoners, in line with the recommendations of the recent Ofsted report on the quality of reading education in prisons.

Prisoners have much lower levels of literacy than the general population, with MoJ data showing that 65% of adult prisoners struggle with reading unfamiliar text, with one in five prisoners needing help with reading and two in five needing help with improving work-related skills. A lack of reading skills limits prisoners’ ability to navigate life within and after prison.

We know that programmes aimed at increasing skills and responsibility for parents in prison are associated with lower reoffending (HM Inspectorate of Probation).

The Reading Agency has responded to the questions in this Call for Evidence that relate to this need and the work that we are doing to address it. We have greyed out the questions where we do not feel The Reading Agency can add value and provided answers where we can. As an evidence-based organisation with a dedicated research team we would be happy to provide further data and evidence should this be helpful to your inquiry.

Questions:

Please note we have only answered the questions in bold where we feel we can add value

Section 1: Reoffending – measuring the problem

1. What are the levels of reoffending in England and Wales, and how has this changed over time?

     a)What are the different approaches to measuring reoffending?

     b)How does reoffending in England and Wales compare to other countries?

Section 2: Rehabilitation in prisons

2. What is the regime offer in different types of prisons?

     a)How does this differ for the following cohorts:

            i.Female prisoners

            ii.Remand prisoners

            iii.IPP prisoners

            iv.Those in the youth custody estate

     b) Does the regime offer encompass the principles of individual desistance, and to what extent could it?

3.What impact does custody have on prisoner health and wellbeing, and how effective is provision for this in prison in promoting rehabilitation?

     a) What role does trauma-informed practice have on the delivery of purposeful activities in prisons?

4. What is the current offer of training and education available in prisons and is it sufficient?

A large number of organisations offer educational and reading-based programmes within the prison estate, with differing delivery models, and varying amounts of financial commitment and/or prison staff time needed to support delivery. Simpler and more streamlined information for prisons around what is on offer would be beneficial, particularly showcasing quality-assured and evidence-based programmes that meet the needs of the individual prison community. 

Every prison needs a reading strategy, as part of Oftsed requirements following the HMIP/Oftsed joint report on into the teaching of reading in prisons (2022). Ofsted Inspection Framework includes information on the library and library service as inspection criteria.

A 2023 HMIP/Ofsted review judged the existing strategies as inadequate:

• “Although prisons are now required to have a reading strategy, many we have seen have been generic and created by the education provider without enough input or commitment from prison leaders.”
• Governor buy-in and a holistic approach to reading promotion/activity are aspects Ofsted have noted as prisons where they have greater confidence that prisoners will make progress in reading
• Oftsted’s emphasis is on reading for pleasure (not just literacy) and the wider benefits that are gained as a result: “Our report was not just about non-readers; it recommended that reading became an integral part of prison life, for pleasure as well as for practical reasons.”
• Ofsted note that the development of a reading strategy is a major piece of work, requiring investment of time, expertise and granular detail in action plans, which they currently feel is not being achieved: “Senior leaders underestimated the scale of the task. Many did not involve prison staff more widely in developing the reading strategy.” [TRA have the expertise and track record to be able to carry this out]
• There is a lack of awareness and implementation of the strategy, on the part of both staff and prisoners: “Most prisoners were unaware of the reading strategy or the opportunities to improve their reading.”

The library offers a different focus for reading than the Education service. Our consultation with prison librarians indicates that conversations about reading often focus solely on Education, losing sight of the role of prison libraries or library-delivered offers and services.

     a) How does this differ for those on the youth custody estate?

5. To what extent are prisoners given enough time out of cell to engage in purposeful activity?

     a) What impact does contracting and staffing have on the delivery of purposeful activities in prisons?

Programmes from The Reading Agency are primarily run through the prison library, where advice, support and reading materials are freely available. The importance of prison library staff in facilitating activity with prisoners, as well as being a key contact for education and learning teams, cannot be underestimated. We know that our programmes work most successfully when library and education teams work together on reading programme delivery. Anecdotal feedback from those delivering our programmes in prisons also suggests that availability of guards to take prisoners to and from the library or other education settings is vital in ensuring regular and meaningful engagement in programmes. 

6. How do current prison population constraints affect the availability and quality of rehabilitation programmes?

7. To what extent do prison buildings and their maintenance facilitate or hinder rehabilitation?

8. What examples of best practice within the prison service are there in promoting rehabilitation?

The Reading Agency’s work in prisons includes:

•                     Programmes designed to develop reading confidence, support skills and learning and promote wellbeing, such as Reading Ahead, Reading Families and Quick Reads.

•                     Activity relevant to emergent readers, readers with specific needs and with English as a second language, as well as more confident readers further along on their reading journey.

Prison libraries and reading programmes support vital family links, helping to break the cycle of low literacy levels with projects that improve whole family literacy and strengthen bonds. Evidence also tells us of the importance of reading to wellbeing.

Research shows that prison visits from family members have been found to improve family relationships (MOJ Farmer Review). Prisoners who have close family ties are nearly 40% less likely to reoffend (MOJ Farmer Review)

Programmes aimed at increasing skills and responsibility for parents in prison are associated with lower reoffending (HM Inspectorate of Probation). Prisoners who take part in education and training activities are more likely to be employed following release and less likely to reoffend (HM Inspectorate of Probation)

The Reading Agency’s programmes give prisoners ‘the chance to develop crucial literacy skills, expand their knowledge and find pleasure in learning. Equipping prisoners with reading skills allows them to embark on a path towards rehabilitation and reintegration into society.’ – HMIP/Ofsted

The Reading Agency’s Reading Ahead programme (formerly the Six-Book Challenge) is a supported reading challenge for readers beginning their reading journey, who struggle with reading or with English as a second language.  Participants pick six reads– books, magazines, recipes, poems and more – and record their reading in a diary, receiving a certificate on completion.

The impact:

• 4 in 5 delivery partners (81%) agreed that participants enjoyed reading more than before, and two-thirds (67%) said they showed an improved attitude toward learning.

• 72% of Reading Ahead participants told us they read for pleasure more than before and 59% felt more confident about reading.
   

The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads are great books by popular authors, specially written in short format for emerging, lapsed, and less confident adult readers. Quick Reads are effective for boosting reading skills, confidence and engagement.

The impact:

• 92% of Quick Reads users say they want to read another Quick Read

• 60% want to read another book by the same author

• 43% want to read more frequently

The Reading Agency’s Reading Families is a fun challenge for parents in prison building skills, confidence and connections through shared reading with their children during family visits, supporting the objectives of the HMIP/Ofsted strategy and MOJ Farmer Review for promoting 'reading for pleasure and purpose throughout the prison.'

The impact:

• Evidence of increased engagement in reading for children and parents.

• Evidence of closer family bonds and improved meaningful connections between parents and children.

Feedback for these programmes shows the difference they make for prisoners:

‘She [my daughter] didn’t want to speak to me on visits before, but the books provided in visits encourages discussions after the book was put away.’

‘It’s nice when family visited, and I tell them I done a reading challenge. They like ‘well done’ and it’s really good’

‘The Reading Challenge is a good thing for prisons to do as it builds the bond with your children a lot better and be able to speak to them and have fun with them even though you are not physically there’

‘Young dads really liked it. Reading the children’s books without any judgement increased their confidence in their own reading. Some had problems with reading and began reading the books themselves, not just with their children.’

‘To be honest I have never picked up a book and completed it as I’m dyslexic and have a short attention span but reading this [Quick Read] kept me intrigued and I felt proud of myself to get to the very end. To be 35 and I never picked up a book, this is an achievement for me.’

An independent evaluation of the Reading Families pilot in Staffordshire prisons showed the following outcomes:

• Evidence of increased engagement in reading for children and parents.

• Strong evidence of improved meaningful connections between parents and children.
• Some evidence that peer-led or peer-involved iterations may work well for recruitment, retention and a sense of community that might extend beyond the programme.
• Interesting adaptation that included staff participation in one pilot appeared to further enhance improved relationships between staff and dads in prison.
• Participating in the Family Reading Challenge was shown to increase engagement in other similar programmes that combined elements of family life and books.

Section 3 – resettlement services and alternatives to custody

9. To what extent does the Probation Service have the capacity to support effective resettlement pre and post release?

10. How does joint working between services happen so that ex-offenders receive the support they need post-release?

    a) Is there sufficient data sharing between services?

    b) What role does trauma-informed practice play in the delivery of these services?

11. How effective is support provided to ex-offenders on release such as homelessness prevention, employment opportunities and health and wellbeing services?

    a) Do these services encompass the principles of individual desistance, and to what extent could it?

12. What impact do licence recall conditions have on promoting resettlement?

13. What role should non-custodial sentences have in promoting rehabilitation?

     a) What impact would an increase in the use of non-custodial sentences have on resettlement services?

     b) What, if any, changes to community sentencing should be introduced if the Sentencing Review recommends a move away from short custodial sentences?

14. What examples of best practice are there for effective resettlement?

January 2025

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