Across the UK, young people in prison are among the most marginalised and often have limited access to qualifications, opportunities and aspirations.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been running in prisons for over a decade and the expansion of our work in prisons and Young Offender Institutions is part of our commitment to make DofE programmes accessible to all by 2026; focusing on supporting those who currently face barriers to participation, so that every young person has a chance to take part.
Doing their DofE in prison gives young people a chance to turn their lives around on release – helping them discover new talents, providing focus, motivation and responsibility, and giving them a widely respected achievement to help them fulfil their potential after release.
Get in touch to learn more and find out how to start running DofE in your secure estate, read how the DofE has positively impacted *Tom and William and download our DofE participant workbook for the secure estate.
Tom*
Young Offender, Tom* initially started his DofE as a way to spend time out of his cell, and hoped it would equip him with more skills and experience to put on his CV. However, he soon discovered that his Award taught him so much more.
William
When William was given the opportunity to do his DofE during his time at HMP Rochester, he saw it as an opportunity to do something positive with his time in prison.
DofE participant workbook for the secure estate
Find inspiration for activity ideas, programme plans and activity logs.
I’ve seen how DofE has built young men’s confidence massively, how it’s grown their opportunities from the prison. They’ve been a credit.DofE is a positive way to spend your time in prison and can help lead to other opportunities both within prison and outside.Socialising with the others is what I’ve enjoyed most about DofE, being able to spend more time out of my cell and being more active. DofE has helped build my confidence.
