A new programme, being piloted in three prisons in England and Wales that aims to reduce reoffending rates and transform the lives of prisoners, has seen outstanding early results.

Nearly 70% of the prisoners taking part say they feel more positive about their release, with over 60% feeling clearer about what they want to do upon release and over half feeling clearer about how to achieve their goals.

“This course has done more for me in these last five days than the last nine years of my sentence,” said one participant. “You don’t even know what you’ve done for me. Thank you from the depths of my heart!”

The Counting on Confidence Programme, run by the self-development organisation Meee, is designed to embed a belief in the power of learning as a pathway to a better life. It has been running in three prisons in England and Wales. 

The Counting on Confidence Programme creates personalised learning plans, helping prisoners develop essential skills such as literacy and numeracy and empowering them to see education as a tool for personal growth and future success.

The challenge

Every year, around 70,000 men are released from UK prisons, yet almost half (48%) reoffend within 12 months. Only 17% of those leaving prison secure employment, in part due to low educational attainment, which severely limits job prospects, and the lack of access to support networks, rehabilitation programmes, and skills training that can help them successfully reintegrate into society. This combination of factors often leads to a cycle of reoffending, making it difficult for former prisoners to build stable, productive lives post-release.

The success of releasing a prisoner (whether early or not) depends on ensuring that they have the tools and support to reintegrate successfully while balancing the safety and concerns of victims and the wider public​. Many prisoners have never felt any purpose or direction in their lives; they are bored, restless, and frustrated. This often leads to poor decision-making and thrill-chasing. Rehabilitation programmes need to help prisoners develop a belief in the power of learning and continuous self-improvement. 

This is essential for meaningful employment too. More and more companies are seeing the benefits of employing ex-offenders, but many of the jobs are based around learning and repeating a simple function, rather than building skills. Although this is a great first step, it seldom fulfils a person’s need for purpose and direction. By learning skills, not just functions, employees are able to act independently and make decisions about their work. But, to do this, they need to understand and believe in the benefits of learning and self-improvement. 

This is why the Counting on Confidence Programme doesn’t only put the focus on the learning itself; it also focuses on developing a belief in education. This helps participants find meaningful jobs, which in turn helps reintegration and reduces reoffending rates. 

Around 60% of those attending the Counting on Confidence Programme had negative experiences at school. This, alongside the absence of positive role models in their life and a lack of purpose and direction, has led to a cycle of offending and reoffending. Meee has spent many years working with prisoners and with children and young people in primary and secondary schools, helping them break the cycle and find a positive direction in life. The Counting on Confidence Programme has been developed from that experience and understanding of the challenges faced by prisoners. 

What the counting on confidence programme offers

Rather than forcing education upon those who’ve struggled with it, the Counting on Confidence Programme is designed to spark a belief in the power of learning as a pathway to a better life. The programme creates personalised learning plans, helping prisoners develop essential skills such as literacy and numeracy, and empowering them to see education as a tool for personal growth and future success. 

One of the fundamentals of the Programme is the “Next Steps Action Plan”. This is created based on psychometric tests, tutor observation, and input from the prisoner themselves. The plan gives each individual a pathway to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. This may mean developing a plan that will enable them to move from a Category B prisoner to a Category D (which is the one before release), plus what education and training they need to acquire a job on release, what sort of job they ultimately want to aim for, etc. The plan is divided into monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals to help them stay on track.

These Counting on Confidence ‘Next Steps Action Plans’ (NSAPs) are pivotal to the process of releasing prisoners with the skills they need to make a success of their lives. They can be used by parole hearing boards to assess the progress of a prisoner and by the prison staff to help them better understand the person, their challenges, and what support they need. 

The programme and the NSAPs give each prisoner a personal sense of who they are and what they need to work on as an individual. Most of them have never had this before, and have never felt motivated to better themselves or had any understanding of how to change their lives and the role they play in shaping their own futures. 

Research by Meee has revealed that 65% of participants, aged 15 to 70, had negative educational experiences. Further research, including the 2021 Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice System: Review of Evidence, shows that up to 50% of prisoners may have neurodivergent conditions affecting their ability to engage with learning. Counting on Confidence works to overcome these barriers, tailoring resources to each prisoner’s unique needs.

More than just educational support, the programme addresses mental, emotional, and social wellbeing, equipping prisoners, staff, and families with tools to foster resilience and personal growth. Each participant is given copies of the Meee in a Minute book series, providing daily inspiration and guidance for positive change.

Positive results

By the end of December 2024, the Counting on Confidence programme will have reached over 250 prisoners and 50 staff across three UK prisons.

The impact so far has been undeniable:

• 95% of participants rated the programme positively.
• 86.7% felt more hopeful about their future.
• 72.7% felt more positive about their self-identity.
• 68.2% felt optimistic about their release.
• 63.6% had greater clarity on their future goals.
• 54.5% felt more confident in achieving those goals.

One prisoner summed up the programme’s impact: “It’s inspired me to help other people. I’ve now become a council rep on my wing.”

The Counting on Confidence Programme received £103,719.75 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Sid Madge, founder of Meee and creator of Counting on Confidence, reflects on the future: “The success of these pilots has shown us the urgent need to expand this programme across more UK prisons. By providing prisoners with the belief, tools, and skills to succeed, we can break the cycle of reoffending and build a better future for them, for society, and for our overcrowded prison system. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Meee plans to expand the programme to reach more prisoners, working to ensure that education becomes a stepping stone to successful reintegration into society. With UK prisons facing overcrowding and rising costs, the benefits of reducing reoffending rates are clear, not only for individuals but for society at large.