The paper discuss the Educational philosophy behind the fall walls. "Prison should be a place for reformation not deformation" We there s

1. Educational Philosophy in prison
HRH. JOHN BABATUNDE LEE

2. Theseus’ Ship
"The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens
returned [from Crete] had thirty oars, and was preserved
by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius
Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they
decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place,
insomuch that this ship became a standing example
among the philosophers, for the logical question of things
that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the
same, and the other contending that it was not the same."
—Plutarch, Theseus (circa 1 AD)

3. Questions Raised and Discussed
What is identity?
Is there a stable, core self?
Can our identity change?
Does your past define you?
Is your identity shaped by your associations or how you are perceived by others?
Personal identity, what is it and how is it constructed?
Environment, pain, education and relationships all motivate change
Are innate characteristics or learnt behaviours more relevant to identity?
What is morality?
How do morals develop?
What is the nature of the link between past selves and future selves.

4. Philosophical Dialogue
Socratic dialogue
12-week philosophy course
An Inquiry
Community of philosophical inquiry
Participants explore concepts in a safe,
non-adversarial environment.
Co-operative dialogue to build
understanding
Philosopher’s ideas introduced in
stages
Time and space for dialogueEthnographically-led research involving extensive periods in the field
Methodological framework drew on adaptive theory (Laydor)to develop theory
Theoretical framework drew on prison sociology literature, theories of desistance
and identity change, philosophy and prison education literature.
Pre, during and post interviews, extensive observations/fieldwork notes, progress
questionnaires, feedback forms,

5. Tolerance and Understanding
“I had a different direction of articulating it, so what I
thought I knew I didn’t quite know. What I knew I could,
sort of, say in a better way.”
“I think I’m pragmatically learning through these
sessions … learning more tolerance. Because for me,
[another member of the group] really pushed my
tolerance level at times … I have to broaden my
horizon[s] even more, understand people more, why, who,
how, feelings, all of them stuff, which I, kind of, closed off.”

6. Equal value and equal contribution
“This is what struck me….everyone had something to say
and we was all on equal terms. It didn’t matter if
someone was a little bit cleverer than the next … I might
have been a little bit more efficient when I was making my
point sometimes than maybe one or two others, but only
‘cause I was aware that that’s how you should be….what I
was thinking… with all your knowledge you just argued at
our level, and I don’t say that our level is below your level.
What I’m trying to say to you is you argued at the same
level, you argued in the same way, that’s what I mean… I

7. Developing nuanced perspectives
“When it comes to morality there are
three levels – some things are clear cut,
you don’t murder, you don’t steal. And
that’s clear-cut. And then some things
are about experience – you learn from
experience that certain things are right
and wrong. And then other things
come from interpretation – it’s the way
you interpret things that help you figure
out what’s right and wrong.”

8. Full Sutton prison
• Maximum security, dispersal prison in the North of England.
• Approx 50% are ‘vulnerable prisoners’ and 50% mainstream
prisoners.
• Mainstream: Resonated with ‘classical’ prison sociology descriptions
(e.g. Clemmer, Sykes, Cohen and Taylor, Sparks Bottoms and Hay)
– Low levels of trust
– Hyper-masculinity, macho ‘front’
– Boredom, solitude, time
– Psychological survival
– Power, authority and distrust
• But also, Liebling’s Whitemoor study (2011)
– Dominating faith narratives
– Division and stigma
– Us and them

9. Trust and Relationships
• Philosophical dialogue encouraged
collaborative conversation
• This involved establishing trust and
relationships between participants
• Time to develop a safe space
• Developed skills in communication and self-
expression
• Working together
“They used to come back from Philosophy separately, but now they
come back together, like a unit. You have done something here.”

10. An enabling environment?
• Should allow for growth, self-refleciton, personal
development
• Relates to cultivation of trust and positve pro-social
relationships
• Strength-based, shared endeavours, community
• Psychologically nourished, meaning-making

11. Philosophy in prison
“This is what struck me…everyone had something to say and
we was all on equal terms.”
(Jonny, Philosophy Participant)
“I just think it gives people opportunity to do something different.
‘Cause to me, it’s, like, a little bit of a getaway, a little bit…And I
think that’s needed sometimes.”
(Martin, Philosophy Participant)
“Freedom. Freedom and bit of…a bit of freshness. Stimulus, a
break from the banality, the drudgery of everything.”
(Paul, Philosophy Participant)

12. “In an educated circle ... And that was the first and foremost reason why I
started…Then, seeing the subject matters as well as the diverse amount of
thinking, … people’s rationale and that, I thought yeah, I think I should stay here,
I’ll definitely benefit by opening up my horizon, expressing my ideas, taking
in new ideas.
Because I think everybody takes ideas from everybody … I think
majority of people, they learn from other people, init. And then they
define themselves.
So if I’m in an educated circle I think that’s gonna have a good
reflection on me. Whereas if I was in a criminal circle, that’s gonna
have a reflection on me. And to a certain extent, depending how
strong the person is, but, yeah, it’s something that I’d like to always
get engaged in, definite educational circles.”

13. Bibliography
Clemmer, D. (1958). The Prison Community. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Cohen, S., & Taylor, L. (1972). Psychological Survival: The Experience of Long-term
Imprisonment. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books Ltd.
Crewe, B. (2009). The Prisoner Society: Power, Adaptation and Social Life in an English
Prison. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Crewe, B., Warr, J., Bennett, P., & Smith, A. (2013). The emotional geography of prison life.
Theoretical Criminology , 0 (0), 1-19.
Daniel, M.-F. (2008). Learning to Philosophize: Positive Impacts and Conditions for
Implementation, A synthesis of 10 years of Research (1995-2005). Thinking: The Journal
of Philosophy for Children, , 18 (4), 36-48.
Goffman, E. (1969). Presentations of the Self. Plymouth: Latimer Trend & Co.
Jewkes, Y. (2005). "Doing" Masculinities as an Adaptation to Imprisonment. Men and
Masculinities , 8 (44), 44-63.
Kennedy, D., & Kennedy, N. (2011). Community of Philosophical Inquiry as a Discursive
Structure, and its Role in School Curriculum Design. Journal of Philosophy of Education ,
45 (2), 265-283.
Layder, D. (1998). Sociological Practice: Linking theory and social research. London: Sage
Publications.
Liebling, A., & assisted by Arnold, H. (2004). Prisons and thier Moral Performance: A study
of values, quality, and prison life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Liebling, A., Armstrong, R., Bramwell, R., & Williams, R. (2016). Locating trust in a climate
of fear: religion, moral status, prisoner leadership, and risk in maximum security prisons -
key findings from an innovative study . Prison Research Centre, Institute of Criminology.

14. Bibliography continued
Liebling, A., Arnold, H., & Straub, C. (2011). An exploration of staff-prisoner relationships
at HMP Whitemoor: 12 years on. Cambridge University, Prisons Research Centre.
London: National Offender Management Service, Ministry of Justice.
Liebling, A., Bramwell, R., Armstrong, R., Williams, R., Auty, K. K., Schmidt, B., et al.
(2014). Full Sutton SQL & MQPL+ Reports March 2014 . Prisons Research Centre, ,
Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge .
Mezirow, J. (1990). How critical reflection rtiggers transformative learning. In M. a.
associates, Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transforative and
emancipatory learning (pp. 1-20). San fanscisco: Joey-Bass Publishers.
Murdoch, I. (1977). The fire and the sun: Why Plato banished the artists. Oxford:
Clarendon Press.
O'Donnell, I. (2014). Prisoners, Solitude, and Time. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Spalek, B., & El-Hassam, S. (2007). Muslim converts in prison. The Howard Journal , 46
(2), 99-114.
Sparks, R., Bottoms, A., & Hay, W. (1996). Prisons and the Problem of Order. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Szifris, 2016, Philosophy in Prisons: Opening Minds and Broadening Perspectives through
philosophical dialogue. Prison Service Journal
Szifris, in progress, Socrates and Aristotle: The Role of Ancient philosophers in the self-
understanding of desisting prisoners
Toch, H. (1977). Living in prison: the ecology of survival . Washington DC: American
Psychological Association.
Warburton, N. (2004). Philosophy: The Basics (4th ed.). Oxfordshire: Routledge.

15. THANK YOU!