Alan Smith

was closely involved in the creation of the European Union´s Erasmus programme and later the EU´s Grundtvig programme for adult learning, which he coordinated for almost a decade from 2000 on. In this role, he became a strong advocate for prison education and in 2015 was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Prison Education Association (EPEA) in acknowledgement of his contribution to this field.
In this article, Smith presents selected key messages resulting from his observation of the projects supported and other measures adopted by the EU in the area of prison education. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission.