Paula Lee, Head of the UWI Five Islands Lifelong Learning Unit, has emphasized the importance of providing education to incarcerated individuals, despite public backlash over prisoners graduating from the program. Lee articulated a multifaceted perspective, highlighting the legal, emotional, and academic dimensions of the issue. She underscored that imprisonment itself constitutes the punishment, stating, “We must never forget that families grieve, but these residents of the prison… their freedom has been restricted. That’s the punishment.”
Lee acknowledged the profound pain experienced by victims’ families, citing tragic examples such as murder and sexual assault. “My baby daddy died tragically when you stabbed him… Somebody was raped… we must never, ever forget that what happened to them will impact them for the rest of their lives,” she said. However, she also stressed the transformative power of education, arguing that it should not be denied to prisoners.
Lee warned that excluding inmates from educational opportunities would violate fundamental principles of access and equality. “The United Nations speaks about education being a right… If we do otherwise, we’re discriminating and that’s a flaw in the realm of universities,” she asserted. Her remarks come amid growing public debate over the role of education in the rehabilitation of prisoners and its broader societal implications.