Prison service to offer university courses for inmates, officers

The government is preparing to roll out university-level education within its prison system, offering both inmates and correctional officers access to higher learning under one roof, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams announced on Friday.

At a graduation ceremony for nine prison officers trained in agriculture, the minister described the development as a bold step toward meaningful rehabilitation and professional growth within the Barbados Prison Service.

“We’ve recently entered an agreement for the provision of higher-level education within the prison system,” Abrahams revealed.

“That includes degrees and possibly even master’s programmes so that everyone who wants to better themselves has the opportunity to do so.”

What makes the initiative stand out is that it will not be exclusive to inmates. Prison officers will also be allowed to enrol, study, and graduate alongside those in their custody—a model the minister believes will strengthen the institution and set a new standard for correctional reform in the region.

“Let the inmates realise what is possible. And let the officers be a reminder of what can happen when you seize the opportunities that are offered to you,” Abrahams said.

The minister emphasised that the push for education is not about charity, but about long-term reintegration and public safety.

“If someone comes in with no skills and leaves five or six years later with nothing new to commend them to the job market, we’re just setting them up to come right back,” he said. “We must give them a way out.”

The initiative builds on recent progress in prison education, as in September 2024 it was revealed that over half of the candidates from Dodds Prison who sat the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams had passed at least one subject. The results, which were considered a breakthrough, were celebrated as evidence that inmates, when given the chance, can succeed academically.

Abrahams said the government now wants to raise the bar even higher: “We’re not stopping at CXCs. We’re moving into tertiary education. And we’re not doing this in a classroom somewhere offsite, we’re bringing the training into the prison, with the equipment, the space, and the support system needed for practical, place-based learning.”

Officials believe the move will also benefit officers, who often struggle to access continuing education due to shift patterns and duty hours.

“We must ensure every officer has an equal chance for self-advancement while serving in the Barbados Prison Service,” Abrahams added. “There are too many online courses, too many resources available, for anyone to be left behind.”

The programme is part of a broader strategy to transform Dodds Prison into a centre of productivity, education, and national development. In addition to agriculture training aimed at achieving 80 per cent food self-sufficiency, plans are in motion to equip inmates with certified skills that make them employable or entrepreneurial upon release.

“A criminal record might close some doors but agriculture, and education, can open new ones,” Abrahams declared. (SM)