Education is the only way to make children a part of the community. Although most formal education occurs in schools, scholars increasingly insist on family education, which creates a positive intergenerational pattern. In the process of family education, parents get the opportunity to help their children improve their academic performance and get closer to them and develop an interest in learning. Another popular trend in modern society is the inclusion of inmates in family learning. Often, this training is part of other practices to strengthen family bonds. This paper aims to discuss the family learning issue and explain the benefits and challenges of family learning in prisons.
Family Learning and its Purpose
Family learning is a popular trend, and related practices are implemented in the UK by many government and non-government organizations. Scholars note that such educational initiatives expand the social geography of studying (Wainwright and Marandet, 2017). Family education has been part of formal education programs in the UK for over 20 years, often in schools and kindergartens. Formal family education involves parents in solving children’s academic problems and motivates the family to study together. The formal program presents a series of family classes in literacy, language, numeracy, and broader family learning practice.
In family teaching, care for children is joint for teachers and the family. Family learning interventions involve learners in practical activities and help parents understand their role in children’s education (Family learning in prisons, 2017). A substantial side effect of family learning is that it stimulates adults and arouses their further interest in learning, contributing to the formation of intergenerational bonds. In other words, family learning leads to the emergence of ‘learning families,’ a phenomenon that can replace many harmful family practices or even traditions by creating a role model of family relationships. Noteworthy, family learning has a long-term impact on the family, in the form of increased skills, knowledge, and employment, adult and child development broadening horizons, growing aspirations, improving relationships and gaining confidence and resilience.
Benefits and Challenges of Delivering Family Learning in Prison Setting
Recently, the attitude towards prisoners continues to change towards adapting more humane approaches. According to scholars, the inmates’ inability to interact with the family during incarceration, family disunity, financial hardship, and emotional stress greatly increase the risk of ‘transgenerational delinquency’ (Clancy and Maguire 2017 ). At the same time, statistics show the hidden opportunities that family support provides for prisoners.
These data indicate the importance of the issue for the present and future of UK society. According to a 2017 report, 200,000 children with a parent in prison lived in England and Wales (Family learning in prisons, 2017). According to statistics, 45% of prisoners lose contact with their families while in prison. In comparison, offenders who maintain family relationships and receive visits are 38% less likely to re-offend (Family learning in prisons, 2017). Besides, children of offenders are three times more likely to experience mental health problems and exhibit antisocial behavior. Finally, statistics say that two-thirds of women prisoners are mothers, and two-thirds of boys whose father is or was in prison, tend to become offenders. Other scholars say that interacting with families while in custody can reduce re-offending and stop sons from imitating their fathers’ behavior (Farmer, 2017). Therefore, family members’ and loved ones’ support are the primary motivating factors for subsequent adaptation to society.
As for inmates, it is evident that the ability to see and spend more time with the child, even under the pretext of joint learning, has a good effect on parents’ well-being and future aspirations. Children inspire them to be better parents as they leave the facility and reunite with their family. Simultaneously, children receive more love, care, and, most importantly – communication, which helps them overcome the trauma due to separation from mother or father. It is especially important because children form a symbiotic relationship with their parents at an early age and need to contact them as much as possible. Noteworthy, communication with the child within the framework of joint education occurs under the educator’s guidance and can not harm either the parent or the child. Of course, if a parent has some mental abnormalities or demonstrates deviant behavior, the possibility and methods of communicating with the child should be considered.
Along with family learning, adults in correctional facilities should receive personal education to self-actualize and support the family after leaving the facility. Adult learning in correctional facilities should consider that many prisoners ended up there because they acted as aggressors or oppressors. In other words, these people crossed certain boundaries, which could indicate that they seriously perceived their role as oppressors, which was the main reason for the deformation of their psyche. Freire (1996) proposes to take this factor into account and has developed a theoretical framework for the education of adult oppressors and oppressed. Specifically, Freire says learning can be expressed as dialogue or anti-dialogue. Anti-dialogue is an instrument of oppression, while the dialog is an instrument of liberation. The basic anti-dialogical action techniques are conquest, divide and rule, manipulation, and cultural invasion. On the contrary, approaches to dialogical action include cooperation, unity, organization, and cultural synthesis.
Once in prison, inmates lose their ties to family, friends, home, which can have a devastating effect on their personality. Therefore, adults’ transformative education will help them find a new identity as a student, a new occupation, and possibly new friends (Pike and Hopkins, 2019). Therefore, in addition to family learning, prisoners should participate in post-school distance self-study practices.
Informal and Formal Learning
Besides the importance of implementing family learning, scholars discuss the broader concept within which this training is carried out. Interestingly, family learning can be done in both formal and informal ways. At the same time, family learning can become the basis for motivating a child for lifelong learning. Scientists note that today the most common approach is considering lifelong learning in the formal learning context (Fairclough, 2008). This training may include vocational and educational training, adult education courses, and community classes (Foley, 2004). There is also growing recognition of non-formal learning, both in and outside the workplace. Scholars believe that today the balance between formal and informal approaches to lifelong learning is strongly shifted towards a formal approach. They consider this state of affairs incorrect and even dangerous for the harmonious development of society (Hager and Halliday, 2009). This opinion can be applied to family learning, although in this case, formal training will bring more results and benefits.
According to scholars, “formal education is a structured process that takes place within an institution or is designed or accredited through a state legitimized body” (Foley, 2004, p. 255). Notably, formal education relies on a defined curriculum and often leads to a qualification. On the opposite, informal learning is an educational process based on gaining experience. It occurs when people gather experiences and impressions of their working or living activities and analyze them in the context of learning potential. Informal education is organized, and, as a rule, it is heavily participant-directed. Informal education or learning can occur during a person’s participation in society, such as an environmental campaign, a political candidate, or other civic initiatives. Besides, it can be obtained by practicing certain hobbies, visiting theaters, museums. Therefore, this teaching format has more in common with lifelong learning than formal education. However, it is less acceptable for family learning and family learning in prisons.
Knowledge, Skills, and Methods to Make Family Learning in Prison Effective
Since family learning involves working with young children, special attention should be paid to providing them and their parents with a comfortable and safe space when visiting a prison. If visiting is not possible, scientists have developed many online or distant family learning practices. In general, when working with children, the setting should be organized depending on the age and operational stages of children, namely: pre-operational stage of 2-7 years, concrete operational stage of 7-11, and formal operational stage of 11-15 (Gray and MacBlain, 2015). Besides, babies and toddlers of 0-3 years need a unique learning environment that considers their needs since a caring environment influences speech and language development in toddlers.
Important environmental aspects may include the emotional environment, the role of adults in the environment, the physical environment, the creative environment, and parents’ involvement (Clare, 2012). Contact with the parent is vital for children since the development of a child’s emotional intelligence depends on how early parents begin to intervene in the learning process (Goleman, 1996). Therefore, the organization of a family learning process in prison is a scientifically complex process that professionals must carry out.
Hayes and Larmour (2017), who launched a collaborative project with teacher education students, inmates, and their families, find this experience invaluable. The project aimed to help fathers “to talk to their children while they are doing something together” (Hayes and Larmour, 2017, p. 9). Project’s broader goal was to ensure literacy interactions for the children of parents who stay in prison, so they would not miss family literacy experiences. Common methods include video-taped read-aloud sessions, then mailed to children, and parents’ writing and illustrating books to share them with family. Other methods include “Family Days,” Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy, and Wider Family Learning programs (Family learning in prisons, 2017). Besides, Prisons Advice and Care Trust developed a series of original practices, including “Building Bridges,” a four-day relationship building course for younger prisoners and a parent, “Time to Connect” – a short parenting course for men with younger children and many other.
Thus, family learning issue was discussed, benefits and challenges of family learning in prisons were explained. Family learning is an integral part of the parent-child relationship, as parental involvement in children’s education can be the key to their future personal and professional success. Family learning is even more critical for inmates and their children. Being in prison destroys essential family ties, which are the primary motivating factors for inmates choosing social life. Therefore, scholars have developed many formal educational practices and methods proven useful when working with prisoners and their families.
Reference List
Clancy, A. and Maguire, M. (2017) ‘Prisoners and their children: An innovative model of ‘whole family’ support’, European Journal of Probation, 9(3), pp. 210-230.
Clare, A. (2012) Creating a learning environment for babies and toddlers. SAGE Publications.
Fairclough, M. (2008) Supporting learnStandard the lifelong learning sector. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Farmer, M. (2017) ‘The importance of strengthening prisoners’ family ties to prevent re-offending and reduce intergenerational crime’, Ministry of Justice, 3(4), pp. 12-22.
Family learning in prisons: a resource for prisons and leading providers (2017). Web.
Foley, G. ed. (2004) Dimensions of adult learning. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Freire, P. (2018) Pedagogy of the oppressed. Bloomsbury publishing USA.
Gray, C. and MacBlain, S. (2015) Learning theories in childhood. Sage.
Goleman, D. (1996) ‘Emotional intelligence. Why it can matter more than IQ’, Learning, 24(6), pp.49-50.
Hager, P. and Halliday, J. (2007) Recovering informal learning: Wisdom, judgement and community (Vol. 7). Springer Science & Business Media.
Hayes, T. and Larmour, C. (2017) Family learning in prisons: Doing time, making time, for family time. Web.
Pike, A. and Hopkins, S. (2019) ‘Transformative learning: positive identity through prison-based higher education in England and Wales’, International Journal of Bias, Identity and Diversities in Education, 4(1), pp. 48-65.
Wainwright, E. and Marandet, E. (2017) ‘Education, parenting and family: The social geographies of family learning’, British Educational Research Journal, 43(2), pp. 213-229.