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Funding is to be diverted within Les Nicolles Prison to enable a new full-time Education Manager to be appointed, while the current part-time Resttlement Officer post will become a full-time role.
The prison's annual budget of £5.58million for 2020 was agreed at the end of last year, and the Delivery Plan for this year was approved before the Covid-19 pandemic emerged.
Published once lockdown was over, but written before the corona virus crisis reached the islands, the Guernsey Prison Delivery Plan 2020 includes a number of aims for this year including plans to upgrade internal and external facilities, alongside other routine maintenance.
That work will be done in conjunction with States Property Services and will be paid for out of the existing budget, without needing additional funding from the States.
Pictured: John De Carteret was appointed Prison Governor permanently at the end of 2019, after nine months in the role.
The key priorities of the 2020 Delivery Plan are to reduce reoffending rates, and continue making progress on the joint Prison/Probation operating model which will help achieve that.
Prison Governor John De Carteret said those priorities remain the same despite what has happened this year.
“This document was written before the pandemic and while coronavirus may ultimately affect some of our desired timeframes, the priorities for our focus will remain the same," he said. "This document aims to outline where we believe we can achieve improvements.
“For instance, the ambitious update of the Prison Healthcare Department is one of the items I am most passionate about, and it will need to be achieved in conjunction with our partners in Health and Social Care. We are also aiming to maximise purposeful activity, qualifications and employment opportunities.
"This will increase the number of prisoners attending both work and education, and will link into clear objectives set out during the sentence planning process, which in turn will assist in reducing reoffending.”
Other plans revealed in the 2020 Delivery Plan include new aims to further improve educational outcomes for inmates.
Pictured: The 2019 annual report showed the number of educational opportunities inmates are taking up at Les Nicolles prison.
The 2019 annual report, also released recently, showed three quarters of inmates at Guernsey's prison took up the opportunity to learn new skills while they were behind bars last year . Vocational courses continue to be the most popular as part of the island's rehabilitation services, while others took up creative courses and some even had their work exhibited through photography displays.
Now, in its 2020 aims, the prison wants to "improve outcomes for learners with the creation of a new full-time Education Manager post".
Previously, the prison used externally contracted tutors run its educational courses which meant there was some difficulty in ensuring continuity of the courses available.
Instead, the full time potholder will be able to set their own curriculum. This won't come at any additional cost to Les Nicolles, as it will be funded from the existing budget.
The new full-time Education Manager will be responsibility for 'the management of the education function as well as providing teaching cover for sickness / leave etc. and overseeing day-to-day operations'.
Pictured top: Les Nicolles Prison.
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