9th June 2011
Kitty Holland reports in The Irish Times that almost 280 prisoners will sit for this year's State examinations. This educational endeavour is a huge step for most, who had negative experiences of school and consequently left before the age of 15.
Many of today's prison teachers are focused on instilling a respect for and love of education in its prisoners and their families. Therefore, sitting for the State exams can be extremely rewarding.
Eric, who suffers from dyslexia has made tremendous progress. He received high marks on the foundation level Junior Cert last year and mock exam earlier this year.
Like Eric, many more prisoners who continuously struggled through school are finding themselves succeeding and really enjoying their studies.
Read the article in The Irish Times here.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.