EDUCATION provision inside Jersey’s prison has sharply declined in recent years – with inmates facing long waits, cancelled courses and dwindling opportunities, according to a damning new report.
The Independent Prison Monitoring Board’s latest annual report raised concerns about the state of learning and rehabilitation inside HMP La Moye, warning that staffing cuts and financial pressures are undermining prisoners’ chances of turning their lives around.
The report revealed that education staffing inside the prison dropped from five teachers in 2019 to just 2.84 full-time equivalents in 2025 — despite a rising prison population. The situation has been further compounded by long-term staff absences.
“Whilst some prisoners report positive employment, training and education activities, others report waiting times and availability of courses is frustrating and demotivating,” the board said.
Functional skills classes, creative writing sessions and even the prison book club were all paused due to staff shortages, leaving gaps in activity and incomplete records.
“We wonder whether it is realistic to expect the prison alone to have the required resources and competencies to operate an education function to serve the broad needs of the prison population,” the report said, confirming the issue has been raised with ministers.
Additionally, the board cited a separate report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons published in February 2025 following an inspection in 2024.
It noted that “purposeful activity was not effective in preparing prisoners for release”.
“Many of the work opportunities were of poor quality, and there was insufficient accredited training,” the report added.
“Most of the education courses only provided opportunities for low-level achievement.”
The board acknowledged that education was “a key area” of focus in 2025, citing “long-term staff absence” that meant the prison was without a teacher for several months.
There are also concerns that financial pressures could make matters worse.
“We are concerned that budgetary constraints could impact the availability of purposeful activity to prisoners (which includes education), which has a direct impact on wellbeing and the likely success of rehabilitation,” the report said.
However, peer-to-peer teaching emerged as a success story, with inmates stepping in to help educate one another.
Two groups completed a basic ICT qualification through prisoner-led teaching, with nine inmates gaining certificates.
“If the barriers to maintaining the computers were overcome, an increased number of prisoners would be able to attend,” the report noted.
Prison authorities have also introduced “education orderlies” – inmates who help support learning activities – in an attempt to offset staff shortages.
While this has helped keep overall activity levels broadly stable compared to last year, the board made clear it is not a long-term solution.
Responsibility for monitoring prisoners’ educational progress currently falls to personal officers, but the report highlights that “there are often competing priorities”, meaning education can slip down the list.
