Prison laptop project delivers beneficial returns

Image courtesy Coracle

The study, conducted by crime and justice consultancy Crest Advisory and released on Tuesday, assessed the value for money of ‘Coracle Inside’, a system from digital education specialists, Coracle, that provides specially designed secure laptops to prisoners in 96 prisons in England and Wales.

Violence, suicide and self-harm are all major challenges for prisons. The report found that those who engaged in study on laptops were far less likely to experience such issues.

The report found that the service reduces assaults by almost 2,000 incidents per year, including more than 200 serious assaults. Coracle’s education technology has also helped nearly 1,200 more ex-prisoners into work within six months of release.

Overall, this means Coracle delivers value to the taxpayer of £35,566,985 per year. When wider societal benefits are taken into account, the total rises to £40.3 million.

James Tweed (above), founder and CEO of Coracle, said: “We always believed we were making an impact but even I was astounded by the amount of value to taxpayers.

“Violence in prisons can be appalling both for staff and prisoners. It also prevents anything meaningful or worthwhile taking place and is very expensive in terms of medical treatment and time off work. So the fact that we are doing something that reduces this particular issue is very welcome news.”

The report found that for every £1 spent on Coracle there is a benefit of £16.

“Our prisons are in total crisis and we desperately need a long term solution that reduces crime and lowers the prison population. Endlessly building more prisons is not the answer.

“Investing in education is proven to be the best way to cut reoffending and we have never needed this more than we do now. I urge the government and politicians to read this report and act upon it.”

In compiling the report, Crest used the financial standards outlined in the Treasury’s Green Book and also followed the evaluation guidance in its Magenta Book.

Coracle holds a King’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity and in 2025 became a certified B Corp. Its tech platform allows prisoners to safely access content covering vocational courses through to higher and further education courses from a wide range of partners, including the Open University, Aim eLearning and Hatch Digital.