19th December 2025

After securing the support of the Prisons Minister Lord Timpson, I launched the Prisons Literacy Project with Lee Child in several Yorkshire prisons this summer

The aim of the project is to reduce reoffending, improve literacy, save the taxpayers money and make our communities safer

Lee Child, creator of Jack Reacher, believes gripping novels can draw in reluctant readers inside and outside prison.

📖 As education and reading skills rise, so do the chances for rehabilitation, translating into fewer crimes, safer streets and less burden on the public purse.

If gripping thrillers can hook reluctant readers, they might be the key to building habits that last beyond the prison gates.

Read the Guardian article here

👉https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/dec/19/lee-child-thrillers-uk-school-curriculum-literacy