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The transformative role of higher education: new data shows HE study reduces prisoner reoffending by 22%
Last updated on Thursday 30 Apr 2026 at 9:37am
The latest Ministry of Justice data reveals that prisoners who have engaged in study with The Open University are 22% less likely to reoffend. We spoke to Michala Robertson, Assistant Director for Students in Secure Environments at The Open University, to understand what these findings tell us about the transformative role of higher education.
Why open access matters
The Open University (OU) is the UK’s largest provider of distance learning. Founded on a mission to make education accessible to all, the university specialises in flexible undergraduate and postgraduate study and operates an open access policy, meaning students do not need prior qualifications to begin their studies. Through routes such as Access modules, part-time study and tailored support, the OU helps students rebuild study skills and rediscover, or discover, their capacity to learn.
This open access approach creates a vital entry point for people who may have previously felt higher education was out of reach. The OU demonstrates this through its Students in Secure Environments (SiSE) programme.
For adults returning to education in later life, open access creates a crucial second chance because it allows people to take that first step without fear or judgment. But for our students in prison, this is often the first chance for any kind of education. So, it's vital to them.
The SiSE programme has been running for over 50 years, with more than 3,000 students having completed degrees while in custody. Today, they have around two and a half thousand students studying in secure environments and partner with 150 prisons and hospitals.
Michala Robertson, Assistant Director for Students in Secure Environments at The Open University, explains that for people in custody, access to higher education is a lifeline. Not only does it equip students with employable skills, but it helps inmates to realise their own potential and envision a life beyond prison.
It creates paths for social mobility, builds confidence and shows people that they are more than where they came from.
The impact that higher education, and access to it, can have on individuals is profound. New data from the Ministry of Justice confirms this, demonstrating how the personal transformations gained through study translate into measurable changes in behaviour.
The data: how education supports rehabilitation
The Ministry of Justice analysis examined more than 4,600 prison learners who studied with The Open University between 1986 and 2023. The results show a clear and significant reduction in both the likelihood and frequency of reoffending.
Those who engaged in study with the OU were:
- 22% less likely to reoffend within a year of release than prisoners who did not study
- committed 37% fewer offences within a year of release
These findings reaffirm the OU’s longstanding impact on rehabilitation and point to the transformative ripple effect of higher education. Michala tell us that many prison learners go on to become tutors, mentors or supportive volunteers within prison. And first-hand accounts from prison learners confirm how studying has helped them to better support their families and contribute to their communities.
Higher education supports rehabilitation and makes it easier for people to reintegrate into society as active, contributing citizens and it benefits individuals, their families and our wider community
The benefits of prison education extend well beyond individual learners, delivering tangible social and economic value to communities and the wider justice system. Reoffending costs the UK an estimated £18.1 billion per year – rising to £22.7 billion when adjusted for inflation for 2024/2025. The evidence shows that access to higher education in prison drives meaningful change, supporting rehabilitation. Against this backdrop, the data makes a clear case for continued investment in routes into higher education, including the SiSE programme.
Beyond the statistics
Beyond the measurable statistics, much of what makes education transformative cannot be captured in reoffending data. Students in prison speak about hope, a sense of achievement and mental freedom. Through study, the students develop self-belief, confidence and new value systems that change how they see themselves and their future.
These experiences are not unique to prison learners alone. Evidence from across the sector shows that going to university plays a powerful role in building confidence, identity and belonging. Research from our 100 Faces campaign shows that first‑in‑the‑family (FiTF) graduates credit university with boosting confidence, self-pride, ambition and improvements to their social and personal life. Our research shows 30% of FiTF graduates cite going to university as the best decision they ever made, with 28% of all graduates from the study in agreement.
There are evident, personal benefits to higher education that students carry with them throughout their lives. But the most powerful insights come from the students themselves.
Experiences of OU prison learners
Experiences of OU prison learners
Student A
Student A undertook the OU’s Introduction to Business Studies course while in prison, completing an undergraduate degree in Business Management over six years.
The learner has since been accepted onto a master’s degree with ambitions to start an online business after release.
“Despite all the obstacles that were put in my way, at the end of six years I gained a 2:1 honours degree in Business Management. This gave me a huge sense of achievement, especially after coming into prison with no qualifications and the issues I have with dyslexia.
It also provided me with a lot of self-belief and gave me the confidence to apply for a master’s degree in Digital Marketing.
Focusing on education has been the best way I could have spent my time while being in prison. Not only has it provided me with knowledge and qualifications I can use when I’m released, but it has also kept my mind busy and made the time go quickly.”
Student B
Student B completed level 1 and 2 qualifications and an OU Access course before studying an English Literature degree in prison.
“I came out of prison earlier this year. I’ve got a part-time job and I’m volunteering with two charities and starting to work with PET’s Alumni Advisory Group. It’s been hard at times, but the education has helped with the interviews – employers have seen my degree and it would start a conversation. They could see I’d made good use of my time.
In the future, I’d like to work either in criminal justice or with women who have experienced domestic abuse. I want to help stop people from ending up where I did. I feel a million miles away from that person now.
I would urge anyone in prison today to value themselves and their own worth. Take the opportunity to educate yourself, even if you begin with a lower-level course in something you like. You don’t have to dive in: slowly the change will creep in.”
Unlocking the full impact of education in prisons
While the Ministry of Justice evidence on rehabilitation is positive, The Open University emphasises that access to education in prisons has been increasingly constrained in recent years due to a number of external pressures.
Students in custody study under extremely challenging conditions, often with limited or no access to IT, appropriate study spaces or dedicated time within the prison schedule. To address this, the OU is calling for a more consistent national approach, including:
- Greater digital access in prisons
- Recognition of higher education as purposeful activity, giving study a formal place within prison education timetables
- Extending student loan eligibility by reforming the six‑year rule, allowing learners serving longer sentences to study earlier and more sustainably
These changes would help remove structural barriers to learning and enable more people in prison to access life‑changing higher education, as well as fueling the wider societal and economic benefits.
Looking ahead
Higher education delivers far more than qualifications alone; and as England rolls out the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), the outcomes of the Students in Secure Environments programme highlight the value of flexible routes into higher education for people with disrupted educational journeys.
In doing so, The Open University’s work in secure environments offers a compelling example of how accessible higher education can transform lives while delivering notable benefits for communities and wider society.
