Education in prison: 'If I can do it, anyone can’

HMP Bronzefield inmates Mia and Lorraine speak about their education in prison which has allowed them to move forward.

“I’m surprised at myself, how far I’ve come,” Lorraine said.

One of the prison tutor’s Linda sees the benefits of education from behind bars to the outside world.

“People think literacy is reading and writing, it’s not, it’s a life skill,” she said.

They were speaking to 5 Live for the station's Word Matters project, a special season of programmes and events looking at adult literacy.

It's estimated that nine million adults in the UK find doing things like filling out forms, writing birthday cards or reading bedtime stories a struggle.