Tackling the Digital Disadvantage in Custody Through Innovative Learning

Safer Internet Day provides an important opportunity to reflect on how we equip learners with the skills, awareness and confidence to navigate today’s digital world safely. For individuals in custody, this focus is even more significant.

Limited or restricted access to technology while in prison can place learners at a digital disadvantage. On release, they re-enter a society where essential services, employment applications, communication and even emotional support are increasingly online. Without the right preparation, this gap can create barriers to successful resettlement.

At Novus, we continue to use innovative digital approaches to make learning relevant, engaging and purposeful, particularly around online safety.

HMP Buckley Hall: Building Digital Awareness and Critical Thinking

At HMP Buckley Hall, Digital Functional Skills learners marked Safer Internet Day by exploring key topics such as misinformation, digital footprint and online scams. Building on previous sessions, discussions were open, reflective and grounded in real-world experiences.

Learners tested their knowledge through an interactive quiz and watched real-life examples from Scam Interceptors via BoB - Box of Broadcasts. This prompted meaningful conversations about how scams work and practical steps to protect themselves and their families.

The session also explored the growing use of artificial intelligence in everyday life, referencing reporting from BBC News that highlighted research showing one in three adults in the UK are using AI for emotional support or social interaction. Learners took part in a live poll debating whether they would trust emotional advice from AI, encouraging critical thinking about emerging technologies.

Feedback from learners reflected clear and powerful takeaways:

Not everything you see online is true

I've learned how to stay safe and spot scams

HMYOI Wetherby: Creative Approaches to Internet Safety

At HMYOI Wetherby, our team delivered an engaging internet safety session for young learners using Teachermatic. For young people in custody, as with adults, the digital world evolves quickly, and the landscape they return to may be very different from the one they left.

To bring the topic to life, learners used random words to create their own rap lyrics and selected a favourite rapper to generate responses to questions about staying safe online. The activity was humorous and creative, while also opening up important discussions around password protection, social media safety and thinking carefully about what is shared online.

The project will continue as learners develop their work into a magazine, reinforcing key online safety messages while strengthening writing, creativity and design skills.

Closing the Digital Gap Through Education

Safer Internet Day highlights more than just online safety. It shines a light on digital inclusion. By embedding innovative digital techniques into education delivery, Novus is helping learners in custody build essential knowledge and resilience.

Through practical discussion, interactive technology and creative projects, we are supporting individuals to close the digital gap, reduce vulnerability and prepare for a safer, more confident return to an increasingly digital society. For more information on how we provide digital learning in prison, visit our digital section.