University of Westminster and HM Prison Pentonville celebrate the success of the Making Links project

Westminster’s Making Links project was an idea developed in 2016 by Dr Andreas Aresti and Dr Sacha Darke, Senior Lecturers in Criminology, in partnership with Jose Aguiar, Prison Educator at HMP Pentonville. The project runs the Criminology module at Pentonville, allowing prisoners and prison staff to study alongside students from the University to achieve a nationally recognised qualification at the completion of the course. 

The celebration event was organised to congratulate several successes, including around 100 HMP Pentonville staff who have successfully completed the joint Criminology course; the presentation of long service medals and medallions to staff who have completed over 20 years in HM Prison Service; along with certificates of achievement presented to staff completing 30 years and over 40 years in the Prison Service. Dr Peter Bonfield, Vice-Chancellor and President at Westminster, gave a welcome speech, along with Professor Dibyesh Anand, Head of School of Social Sciences, who talked about the importance of the Making Links project.   

“Our University has a strong commitment to social mobility and breaking barriers. Education has to be made meaningful and accessible to as many people as possible, including those hitherto marginalised. We are proud to support this partnership that helps promote social justice and a vision and practice of education that creates opportunity for all,” said Professor Anand.

Dr Aresti has also given a speech, through which he highlighted how the project has helped to break down barriers, providing learners inside the prison with certification and bringing the Pentonville Prison project to other countries like Brazil and Argentina. He emphasised that, in the project, everyone is just a student, no matter whether they are prisoners or officers. 

Talking on the event, Dr Aresti said: “Today was an exceptional day for our prison education project. Typically, we go to the Prison and recreate the University environment in the Prison for the inside learners, however, today the Prison has come to the University, demonstrating the commitment and enthusiasm for the project by both the Prison and the University.”

Reflecting on the occasion, Ian Blakeman, Governing Governor at HMP Pentonville, said: “The celebration event allowed us to look back at what was going on in the world when the staff present joined the service.... The event was also special in that we got to celebrate it with our partners at the University of Westminster. Their commitment to Pentonville is inspiring and we are a better place for it. We heard that their dedication to educating people at Pentonville is part of their commitment to promoting equality of opportunity for all.”

The Making Links project is designed for Level 3 students at HMP Pentonville, and Level 6 students studying Criminology at Westminster. Running twice a year for ten weeks, the module typically provides an opportunity for ten students from the University, and ten students from HMP Pentonville, to connect through Higher Education.

Two Westminster Criminology students from the Making Links project, Irene Sangaletti and Valentina Serra, have also helped at the event by welcoming and directing prison staff, and documenting the occasion.

Learn more about Criminology and Sociology courses at the University of Westminster.