Prisoners' Education Trust

Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) is a registered charity that works in prisons in England and Wales.[1] It offers distance learning courses and educational advice and guidance to people in prison. It was founded in HMP Wandsworth in 1989.[2]

Prisoners' Education Trust logo

In 2022, PET helped 1,375 people in prison start a course.[3] Its prospectus includes 125 courses including GCSEs and A-levels, Open University Access modules and a wide range of professional courses.[4]

The charity also uses its policy and advocacy work to improve prison education and show prisons, policymakers and the public the impact it can have — for people in prison, their families, and society.[5]

In 2021 the Justice Data Lab – a team of statisticians at the Ministry of Justice – studied the employment and reoffending records in the first year of release for over 9,000 people PET have supported with distance learning in prison.[6]

The research found that the people supported by PET are more likely to get a job within one year than prisoners PET does not support; that even if they do not get a job they are less likely to reoffend within that year than other prisoners who do not get jobs; and that if they do get jobs they are even less likely to reoffend than other prisoners who find employment.