Every Story Starts Here: The Power of Reading in Justice Settings
Sarah Mcknight, Deputy Director of Employment, Skills and Education, HMPPS, invites you to register for our exciting event.
Sarah McKnight
Deputy Director,
Employment, Skills and Education Services
I’d like to invite you to join me for a conversation about the vital role reading plays across the justice system.
We know that reading can be life‑changing. It builds confidence, supports wellbeing and is a key part of helping people move forward and away from crime. Yet around 70% of people entering prison are reading below GCSE level – so there’s more we can all do to help tackle this.
Improving reading skills supports rehabilitation and can help reduce reoffending: prison learners have a proven 34% one‑year reoffending rate compared to 43% for non‑learners. People frequently move between prisons, probation, healthcare and support services so a joined‑up, leadership‑driven approach is essential.
Beyond literacy development, reading offers a range of benefits that can support prisoner’s wellbeing and align with well-established factors associated with desistance from crime. These include enabling self-reflection and identity shifts, cultivating empathy and social connections, and the opportunity to maintain positive family relationships through family reading initiatives.
As part of the National Year of Reading 2026, I’ll be joined by Dr Jayne Finlay, Lecturer in Librarianship, University of Sheffield, and an expert panel of MoJ and Prison, Probation, YCS, Lived Experience, and Library Services leaders to:
- share what the evidence tells us about reading and desistance
- explore practical ways we can all support literacy in our roles
- look at how we can work together to improve outcomes for people across the justice system by unlocking momentum, resources and partnerships to champion and embed reading
Whether you’re setting direction as a leader or supporting people day‑to‑day on the frontline, I hope you’ll come away with ideas and inspiration to make a difference. So please join me on Tuesday 16 June at 12pm for what promises to be a really special event. including:
- embedding reading into organisational priorities
- strengthening cross‑sector collaboration between prison, probation, healthcare and other partners
- championing a culture that values reading using the National Year of Reading to unlock momentum, resources and partnership activity sector‑wide
Register now for this free online event . Please register with your work email address.
But, that’s not all!
HMPPS Insights and NYoR26 are offering exclusive, VIP backstage opportunities to learn more:
A behind the scenes look at one of the 14 CFO Wings and 33 Hubs across England. Visit either a dedicated CFO wing within a prison or a CFO Activity Hub in the community, depending on your interests and location. CFO wings provide a structured, supportive environment where people prepare for release, while Activity Hubs offer ongoing support in the community to help individuals build stability and progress.
You will see how reading and literacy are embedded across the whole journey. In custody, this includes structured sessions, creative writing and peer led support. In the community, Activity Hubs offer book clubs, qualifications, mentoring and wider learning opportunities that help people maintain progress after release.
Enter the draw
This visit offers a unique, behind-the-scenes opportunity to see how HMP Chelmsford has embedded its whole-prison reading strategy across all areas of prison life. Attendees will gain direct insight into how reading is not confined to education alone, but is actively integrated into residential units, workshops, peer-led initiatives, family engagement, and wider rehabilitative activity.
Through this immersive experience, visitors will develop a deeper understanding of how a coordinated, cross-departmental approach can create a culture of reading that supports engagement, wellbeing, and progression. Attendees will see first-hand examples of partnership working, staff commitment, and creative practice that bring the strategy to life, alongside the opportunities and challenges of delivering this in a live custodial environment.
The visit will provide valuable knowledge and practical insight into how reading can be used as a rehabilitative tool, how it can be embedded sustainably across functions, and what success looks like in practice, enabling attendees to reflect on how similar approaches could be adapted within their own establishments or settings.
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