Safe (Digital) Studying for Prisoners and Education behind foreign bars
Learning something new is a valuable way to spend time. It trains the brain and enriches knowledge. Acquiring knowledge through books is already common in penitentiary institutions, but nowadays it is also possible to follow a course or training remotely, with teacher guidance.
At NHA Opleidingen, they make this possible through targeted adjustments in the process and the learning environment. This allows prisoners to safely enjoy quality education with guidance from subject teachers. This teacher guidance is very important. It ensures that the student does not come to a standstill when he/she does not understand something. The subject teachers review homework and answer questions from the students.
At NHA, two different methods have been developed, fully customized to perfectly meet the needs of the target groups.
- Method for Prisons in the Netherlands and Belgium The Penitentiary Institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium usually provide a computer for prisoners. Sometimes in their cell (without internet access), but usually under supervision in a study room (with limited internet access).
Through the internet, only selected domains are accessible, including the digital learning environment Plaza from NHA. With a personal login, the student can access this. There they see the study materials they receive in a binder, also available digitally. Some prefer to learn from paper, while others prefer digital learning via the computer.
Through a digital question moment, a question about the study material can be asked to the teacher. At the end of the lesson, the homework can be done digitally in the learning environment. The subject teachers receive a notification and provide feedback to the prisoner.
Safety Measures To ensure that prisoners can study safely, several measures have been put in place in the learning environment for prisoners. For instance, the teacher does not see who the prisoner is, and the prisoner does not see who the teacher is. Regular students can see this, but this feature is disabled for prisoners. Furthermore, regular students can communicate with their fellow students who are taking the same course via Plaza. This option is also blocked for prisoners.
Additionally, there are more safety adjustments made in the learning environment for prisoners to ensure safe studying.
Participating in Exams from a Penitentiary Institution In many cases, prisoner students also want to participate in exams and obtain a diploma. We can facilitate this in many cases, allowing the exam to be taken digitally in the Penitentiary Institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium. Alternatively, it is also possible to take the exam at an exam location in the Netherlands after detention.
If a prisoner student does not wish to take an exam, they can request a certificate. If all homework has been submitted and graded with an average score of 5.5 or higher, the student can receive a certificate.
- Method for EABT – Stichting Educatie Achter Buitenlandse Tralies (Foundation for Education Behind Foreign Bars) For many years, NHA has been working with Frans Lemmers and his colleagues. They inform Dutch prisoners, who are detained abroad, about the possibility of studying.
When someone wants to start, EABT registers this student with NHA. Since most prisons abroad do not provide computers, studying is mostly done offline.NHA sends the study package by mail to EABT, and they ensure it is delivered to the prisoner. The student studies the lessons and completes the homework in writing, with pen and paper. The homework is then sent by mail to EABT, where it is scanned and placed in NHA’s digital learning environment. This way, the teacher can review and grade the homework, and answer any questions.
EABT receives a notification once this is done and sends the feedback and homework grade to the prisoner. It is cumbersome, but effective and the only possible method in such cases.
Digital Studying for Prisoners: More is Possible Than You Think NHA believes it is important that everyone has access to quality education. They are happy to make this possible by collaborating with organizations. They think in solutions and know that digital security and anonymity are essential for this.
Want to Know More? For all questions about studying from a penitentiary institution, you can contact: John Versluis (Account Manager) Email: j.versluis@nha.nl Phone: +31 6 23876205
For all questions about the collaboration between NHA and EABT, you can contact: Wilfried Plum (Program Manager) Email: w.plum@nha.nl Phone: +31-622704762
