Mark O'Mahony
@themarkages.bsky.social
Policy Manager at Prisoners' Education Trust @prisonersed.bsky.social and youth club trustee. Previously children's social care policy. Drinks coffee, eats cake, sings in choirs, usually in that order.
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
We always love getting postcards from learners letting us know how they're getting on with their course.
Barry is taking his Bookkeeping Certificate with PET - the start of his journey to becoming a freelance accountant.
Barry is taking his Bookkeeping Certificate with PET - the start of his journey to becoming a freelance accountant.
January 23, 2026 at 8:35 AM
We always love getting postcards from learners letting us know how they're getting on with their course.
Barry is taking his Bookkeeping Certificate with PET - the start of his journey to becoming a freelance accountant.
Barry is taking his Bookkeeping Certificate with PET - the start of his journey to becoming a freelance accountant.
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
"We must properly fund prison education. Some institutions face cuts of up to 60% in their education provision. That’s not just short-sighted, it’s self-defeating."
Very good article on the importance of literacy and prison education by @pauldaviesmp.bsky.social.
politicsuk.com/literacy-beh...
Very good article on the importance of literacy and prison education by @pauldaviesmp.bsky.social.
politicsuk.com/literacy-beh...
Literacy Behind Bars: a Silent Crisis We Can’t Ignore - P...
More than half of people in UK prisons cannot read beyond primary-school level. Writing exclusively for Chamber UK, Paul Davies says that until we treat literacy as central to sentencing reform, rehab...
politicsuk.com
January 21, 2026 at 9:43 AM
"We must properly fund prison education. Some institutions face cuts of up to 60% in their education provision. That’s not just short-sighted, it’s self-defeating."
Very good article on the importance of literacy and prison education by @pauldaviesmp.bsky.social.
politicsuk.com/literacy-beh...
Very good article on the importance of literacy and prison education by @pauldaviesmp.bsky.social.
politicsuk.com/literacy-beh...
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has published a report highlighting the challenges people face finding work after prison, and the impact this has on London’s economy.
Read our evidence which features in the report here: https://ow.ly/OmvW50XVYcY
https://ow.ly/qmOH50XVYe0
Read our evidence which features in the report here: https://ow.ly/OmvW50XVYcY
https://ow.ly/qmOH50XVYe0
Employment in London after prison
The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has published its report highlighting the challenges prison leavers face in accessing employment, and the impact this has on London’s economy.
ow.ly
January 13, 2026 at 1:01 PM
The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has published a report highlighting the challenges people face finding work after prison, and the impact this has on London’s economy.
Read our evidence which features in the report here: https://ow.ly/OmvW50XVYcY
https://ow.ly/qmOH50XVYe0
Read our evidence which features in the report here: https://ow.ly/OmvW50XVYcY
https://ow.ly/qmOH50XVYe0
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Prison education: it’s time to bridge the digital divide Cassie Edmiston, Head of Fundraising and External Affairs at @prisonersed.bsky.social , sets out how the government can boost digital learning in prisons.
www.russellwebster.com/prison-educa...
www.russellwebster.com/prison-educa...
Prison education: it’s time to bridge the digital divide
Cassie Edmiston, Head of Fundraising and External Affairs at Prisoners' Education Trust, sets out how the government can boost digital learning in prisons.
www.russellwebster.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Prison education: it’s time to bridge the digital divide Cassie Edmiston, Head of Fundraising and External Affairs at @prisonersed.bsky.social , sets out how the government can boost digital learning in prisons.
www.russellwebster.com/prison-educa...
www.russellwebster.com/prison-educa...
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Education can be the key to unlocking a brighter future for someone in prison. Your support means more learners like Robin can lay the foundations for a new career.
Support our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge to have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
Support our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge to have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
December 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Education can be the key to unlocking a brighter future for someone in prison. Your support means more learners like Robin can lay the foundations for a new career.
Support our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge to have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
Support our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge to have your donation doubled today: https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge is now live! This Christmas, we hope to raise just over £45,000 to fund 66 distance learning courses for people in prison.
From today, any donation made to PET via the Big Give website will be DOUBLED.
https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
From today, any donation made to PET via the Big Give website will be DOUBLED.
https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
Laying foundations, building futures – Big Give
PET provides distance learning courses and advice and guidance to people in prison. These courses help learners lay the foundations …
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Our Big Give #ChristmasChallenge is now live! This Christmas, we hope to raise just over £45,000 to fund 66 distance learning courses for people in prison.
From today, any donation made to PET via the Big Give website will be DOUBLED.
https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
From today, any donation made to PET via the Big Give website will be DOUBLED.
https://bit.ly/PET-BigGive-2
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
Introducing our 2026–2027 Course Prospectus – PET's most forward-looking and accessible edition yet!
The prospectus includes cutting-edge courses on AI and environmental sustainability, as well as new digital learning opportunities.
Read it here: prisonerseducation.org.uk/2025/12/new-...
The prospectus includes cutting-edge courses on AI and environmental sustainability, as well as new digital learning opportunities.
Read it here: prisonerseducation.org.uk/2025/12/new-...
December 2, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Introducing our 2026–2027 Course Prospectus – PET's most forward-looking and accessible edition yet!
The prospectus includes cutting-edge courses on AI and environmental sustainability, as well as new digital learning opportunities.
Read it here: prisonerseducation.org.uk/2025/12/new-...
The prospectus includes cutting-edge courses on AI and environmental sustainability, as well as new digital learning opportunities.
Read it here: prisonerseducation.org.uk/2025/12/new-...
It is outrageous that all YOIs in England are delivering less than children's legally mandated 15 hours education a week.
When we hold young people in detention, we must give them the building blocks for a better future. The Government must put education first, for all young people in custody.
When we hold young people in detention, we must give them the building blocks for a better future. The Government must put education first, for all young people in custody.
For the nearly 300 children in England's YOIs, access to education is restricted, with some spending more than 22 hours a day locked in their cells. This cannot be tolerated by the government any longer: it must put education first.
https://ow.ly/q54w50XwMJ1
https://ow.ly/q54w50XwMJ1
England's three YOIs fail 15-hour education requirement
None of England’s young offender institutions provided children in their care with the education they were entitled to during the last three years reveals probe
ow.ly
November 24, 2025 at 11:53 AM
It is outrageous that all YOIs in England are delivering less than children's legally mandated 15 hours education a week.
When we hold young people in detention, we must give them the building blocks for a better future. The Government must put education first, for all young people in custody.
When we hold young people in detention, we must give them the building blocks for a better future. The Government must put education first, for all young people in custody.
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
We are joining the Zahid Mubarek Trust’s Movement for Race Equality in Prisons.
We support their call for renewed ambition, action and accountability on race equality across the prison system.
Find out more about the movement and how to join here ⬇️
We support their call for renewed ambition, action and accountability on race equality across the prison system.
Find out more about the movement and how to join here ⬇️
Join The Movement
Join The Movement “The way individuals are treated in prison affects their chances of rehabilitation in tangible and intangible ways. Tangibly, access to opportunities like training courses, prison jobs and behaviour management programmes affects offenders’ ability to cope without reoffending when they leave prison. Intangibly, the extent to which prisoners believe they are treated fairly…
ow.ly
November 17, 2025 at 8:30 AM
We are joining the Zahid Mubarek Trust’s Movement for Race Equality in Prisons.
We support their call for renewed ambition, action and accountability on race equality across the prison system.
Find out more about the movement and how to join here ⬇️
We support their call for renewed ambition, action and accountability on race equality across the prison system.
Find out more about the movement and how to join here ⬇️
Reposted by Mark O'Mahony
The Justice Committee's new report highlights the dire state our prisons are in. The government needs to set out an ambitious plan to provide consistent access to high-quality education and training. The first step should be reversing cuts to budgets that will only make a bad situation worse.
‘Dire’ prison conditions putting rehabilitation and reoffending reduction ‘at risk’, Justice Committee warns - Committees - UK Parliament
Prison overcrowding, staffing shortages and deteriorating infrastructure is having a ‘profound impact on the ability of prisons to deliver rehabilitation’, a new report published today (No...
committees.parliament.uk
November 14, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The Justice Committee's new report highlights the dire state our prisons are in. The government needs to set out an ambitious plan to provide consistent access to high-quality education and training. The first step should be reversing cuts to budgets that will only make a bad situation worse.
Great to see the #JusticeSelectCommittee highlighting some of the wider benefits of prison education.
Here’s how Emma described her experiences...
"It was like as education grew in importance, drugs became less important... gradually I was using [course] work as a distraction from the drugs."
Here’s how Emma described her experiences...
"It was like as education grew in importance, drugs became less important... gradually I was using [course] work as a distraction from the drugs."
October 31, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Great to see the #JusticeSelectCommittee highlighting some of the wider benefits of prison education.
Here’s how Emma described her experiences...
"It was like as education grew in importance, drugs became less important... gradually I was using [course] work as a distraction from the drugs."
Here’s how Emma described her experiences...
"It was like as education grew in importance, drugs became less important... gradually I was using [course] work as a distraction from the drugs."
Very handy little Chrome extension matches Twitter accounts to Bluesky so you can re-follow. www.mentalfloss.com/find-x-twitt...
Migrating to Bluesky? This Extension Finds Your X Followers on the App
If you’re having trouble finding all of your X followers on Bluesky, Sky Follower Bridge will save the day.
www.mentalfloss.com
November 28, 2024 at 1:35 PM
Very handy little Chrome extension matches Twitter accounts to Bluesky so you can re-follow. www.mentalfloss.com/find-x-twitt...