<b>Further education and the justice system: </b><b>Seeking transformation</b>

<p dir="ltr">This UCL Grand Challenges project brought together over 70 participants to co-create a vision and blueprint for the future role of Further Education (FE) colleges in supporting people leaving prison or on probation into education, training and careers in the arts, sports, and digital industries. These sectors, while popular among people in the justice system, are often overlooked in education, training and employment provision, which often focus on construction, logistics, and hospitality. FE colleges are well placed to support such a transformation as they are a countrywide resource offering learning opportunities well suited to many prisoners, but they play a minimal role in the current system.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>Why this matters</i></b></p><p dir="ltr">Education provision in prison and probation remains inadequate, fragmented, and inequitable. Reports from the Chief Inspector of Prisons (2024) and the House of Commons Education Select Committee (2022) highlight chronic underfunding and lack of access to higher-level qualifications. Probation pathways are also weak, with limited opportunities for meaningful education and training through community sentences. For many, intersecting inequalities, including race, gender, neurodivergence, disability and stigma from criminal records, compound these barriers.</p><p dir="ltr"><b><i>What we did</i></b></p><p dir="ltr">Between April and June 2025, we ran three in-person workshops, an online workshop, undertook ten interviews and two surveys. Sharpe’s (2020) Three Horizons futures framework allowed participants to explore:</p><ul><li><b>Horizon One (status quo): </b>FE and justice systems described as <i>dire, disconnected, and dysfunctional</i>, limited by rigid policies, poor practices, and systemic barriers.</li><li><b>Horizon Two (innovation): </b><i>Pockets of the future </i>where personalised, place-based, and partnership-driven approaches are creating new possibilities.</li><li><b>Horizon Three (transformative future): </b>A vision of collaborative, people-centred systems with flexible funding, co-produced policies, inclusive admissions, and genuine partnerships between FE, justice, and employers.</li></ul><p dir="ltr">Creative methodologies (rich picturing, photovoice) helped participants imagine alternatives, challenge assumptions, and highlight enablers of systemic change.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Mindset shift is foundational. </b>Moving from a <i>can’t do </i>to a <i>can-do </i>culture across FE and justice systems is essential to unlock progress. A shift in the values and principles that hold systems in place is needed to underpin the transformation.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Personalisation is critical. </b><i>One size fits all </i>models fail; there is significant value in future FE in justice offering multiple, flexible learning pathways.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Partnerships drive innovation. </b>The most promising initiatives emerged where FE, justice, charities, and employers worked together, especially at a local and regional level.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Sustainability matters. </b>Short-term projects are not enough; long-term funding and structural change are required to embed success.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Lived experience leadership is vital. </b>People with convictions must be central in designing, delivering, and shaping policy.</p>