Critical andragogy and ‘momentary emancipation’ in a prison–university educational partnership

This article examines the application of a critical andragogical approach to the teaching of a Learning Together prison–university partnership course. The partnership was based in the North-West of England and involved final year (Level 6) Criminology students from The University of the Northwest studying and learning alongside prison learners from a Category D men’s prison, HMP Westborough. Using in-depth interviews with former prison learners on the course, the article unpacks the benefits and challenges of critical andragogy in a prison setting. Whilst critically addressing the notion that critical andragogy can have long-term ‘transformative’ or ‘rehabilitative’ effects for incarcerated learners, this article focuses on the more immediate context of the learning environment, presenting a core finding that it can be a space for, albeit temporarily, ‘momentary emancipation’.