By all means reform our universities and colleges. But what about our prisons? | thearticle

The latest wheeze to revive the regions is to create a new university specialising in science and technology, or “MIT of the North”, based in Leeds. The minister responsible, Jake Berry,

says: “We want to set up a world-leading institution in the North to rival Oxford and Cambridge.” It’s not a bad idea, though it might surprise such long-established northern universities as

Manchester, York, Durham and Leeds that they are not already competing with Oxbridge. But it is is hardly a novel idea. Indeed, the University of Manchester began in 1824 as Manchester

Mechanics Institute. The original MIT is nearly as old, having been founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1861. If it were quick and easy to create “world-leading” institutions of learning,

Britain would have long ago been overtaken by other, richer countries. China’s vast cities have spawned nearly 3,000 universities in less than half a century. Many are superb, but the world

rankings are still led by American and British universities. The English language is clearly an advantage, but so too are traditions of excellence in scholarship and teaching that have

emerged over time in lands that can boast a history of liberty and the rule of law which has been uninterrupted for centuries. It is possible for a relatively young and innovative university

to break into the top league, as Stanford has shown. Its symbiotic relationship with Silicon Valley has been widely imitated but never equalled. Ministers in this country should be reminded

that both MIT and Stanford are entirely private institutions. British universities are nominally independent of the state, but in practice do not always behave as though they were. Boris

Johnson, born in New York, is perhaps more likely than his predecessors to encourage new private universities and colleges on the American model to emerge here. The private University of

Buckingham, given its royal charter in 1983 during the Thatcher era, has remained unique in Britain, not least by pioneering two-year degrees. Under its present Vice-Chancellor, Sir Anthony

Selden, Buckingham is broadening its range of courses and raising its game. As the biographer of several recent prime ministers, Selden is no stranger to Downing Street. He should be invited

there wearing another hat, namely his mortar board, to advise the present incumbent on how to inject more of the spirit of free enterprise into higher education. All too often British

universities behave like an unreconstructed branch of the public sector, the recent wave of strikes called by the lecturers’ union being only the latest example. Those who are fortunate

enough to study or to teach at any of the 240 colleges and universities in the UK are at least contributing to what is now one of the largest parts of the economy. One of the biggest

challenges that faces the new Government, however, comes from the opposite end of the educational spectrum: the prison system. The _ Times _ reports today that prisoners at HMP Woodhill,

Milton Keynes, are being subjected to Sharia trials conducted by Islamist extremists. It is unlikely that Woodhill is unique, given that many Muslims are known to have been groomed or

radicalised in prison, including Usman Khan, the London Bridge terrorist. Experts fear that self-appointed “emirs” have created a reign of terror over the 13,000 Muslim prisoners now behind

bars. Despite a report by Professor Ian Acheson in 2016, which made various proposals for reform, the problem has deteriorated and the situation is now out of hand. Instead of allowing

radical Islamists to turn prisons into madrassas of terror, the Government should be working on using the opportunity to give not only Muslims but all prisoners an education while they are

inside. What better way to employ a captive audience than by teaching them about the sciences and humanities? At present, few even acquire manual skills in prison. In any case, we live in a

society where the accomplishments that are most valued are intellectual and cultural. Why should not even hardened criminals be exposed to the civilising influence of books? Yet during the

unlamented tenure of Chris Grayling at the Department of Justice, the already limited supply of books to prisoners was cut off on the grounds that they might be used to smuggle in drugs. The

more enlightened but all too brief efforts to improve rehabilitation under Michael Gove, who also tried to tackle Islamic radicalisation, should be revived by the present Justice Secretary

Robert Buckland. This won’t happen without new money and thoughtful reform. Buckland claims that £2.75 billion is already being invested in “prison safety”. But safety for the public, as

well as prisoners and prison staff, is a bare minimum. Conditions in many prisons have been degrading for many years, mainly due to overcrowding. We cannot turn criminals into decent human

beings if we treat them without decency. Lawbreakers are sent to prison _as_ a punishment, not _for_ punishment. A joined-up policy would bring together our colleges and universities with

our prisons to deploy the  strengths of the former to tackle the weaknesses of the latter. There is no limit to “man’s inhumanity to man”, as Robert Burns knew too well when he coined the

phrase. But a new policy to transform our prisons into places of education and enlightenment can give new meaning to another phrase: “the university of life”. Instead of reoffending as soon

as they are released, ex-convicts should emerge with a new purpose in life. That will only happen if they are given the chance to educate themselves while detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure.