Digital exclusion behind bars: Preparing prisoners for a cashless society

A growing challenge facing prison systems is not simply rehabilitation, it is digital rehabilitation. As the wider world becomes increasingly cashless, paperless, and dependent upon digital services, many prisoners face the prospect of re-entering society with little understanding of the technologies required for everyday life.

This issue has gained international attention through the publication of the new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Handbook on the Use of Technology in Prison Settings, a document aimed at helping correctional institutions adopt technology responsibly. Among the contributors was Cambridge-based education technology entrepreneur James Tweed, founder of Coracle, whose digital learning platform is now highlighted within the handbook as an example of best practice.

The issue extends beyond education. It raises fundamental questions about digital inclusion, economic participation, and whether individuals leaving prison are ready for a society increasingly driven by digital services and digital payments.

Life after prison in a digital-first economy

Today, most citizens interact with government services online. Job applications are completed electronically. Banking increasingly takes place through mobile applications. Housing searches are conducted through property platforms. Healthcare appointments are booked digitally. Even routine activities such as ordering food, purchasing travel tickets, or paying bills often require internet access and digital literacy. One of the biggest shifts has been the move toward cashless transactions.

While physical cash remains important, digital payments now dominate many sectors. Contactless cards, mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, online banking, and emerging digital currencies have become mainstream tools for economic participation.

For individuals serving long prison sentences, these developments can be unfamiliar or even intimidating. Tweed argues that many people leaving custody find themselves entering a world that barely resembles the one they left behind. “Today everyone has mobile devices, everything is online and the world is increasingly cashless and paperless,” he notes in a statement provided to Digital Journal. “Many people released from prison are totally unprepared for this.”

Digital inclusion: Actions that ensure all individuals and communities (especially the most disadvantaged) have equitable access to digital technology, the skills and support to use them effectively, and the ability to participate safely and confidently in digital environments.

The challenge is becoming even more significant as societies explore new forms of digital currency. Around the world, central banks are evaluating or testing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), while cryptocurrencies and stablecoins continue to influence financial innovation.

Managing digital identities, maintaining cybersecurity awareness, using online authentication systems, and understanding digital wallets may become essential life skills. For people unable to access computers for extended periods, the learning curve can be steep.

This creates a paradox. Society increasingly expects digital competence as a basic requirement for participation, yet prisoners, one of the groups most in need of reintegration support, often have the least opportunity to develop such skills.

Coracle’s approach seeks to address this challenge through secure educational technology designed specifically for restricted environments. The company provides learning laptops across more than 90 percent of the prison estate in England and Wales. Unlike conventional online devices, the systems operate within tightly controlled environments and allow learners to access educational materials safely without unrestricted Internet connections.

Coracle was founded in 2006 to support maritime workers operating at sea, where internet access could be unreliable or unavailable. That experience later informed solutions for prisons, where connectivity restrictions create similar challenges. The objective is not merely technical training but broader life preparation.

Digital literacy increasingly underpins employability. Many employers expect basic proficiency with office software, online communication platforms, digital record systems, and virtual collaboration tools. Without these capabilities, former prisoners may struggle to compete in the labour market, potentially increasing the risk of social isolation and reoffending.

The advantages of introducing technology into custodial settings are substantial. Digital learning can broaden educational access, provide personalized learning pathways, improve vocational training opportunities, and enable prisoners to acquire skills aligned with the modern workplace.

Technology can also support administrative efficiencies. Digital records, electronic learning plans, online assessments, and secure communication tools can reduce paperwork and streamline prison operations. In principle, greater digital competence should increase employability, improve access to housing services, enhance financial inclusion, and help former prisoners navigate increasingly digital public services.

The risks and limitations

Yet digitisation is not a universal solution. Technology can support learning, but it cannot replace the human elements of education, mentoring, and rehabilitation. Tweed is careful to emphasize that point: “Technology should never be treated as just a shortcut to learning, or a replacement for human relationships, good teaching or proper support.”

There is sometimes a tendency to view technology as a cure-all for complex social challenges. In reality, successful rehabilitation depends upon a combination of education, employment support, mental health services, stable housing, and community integration.

Furthermore, introducing digital systems into prisons creates additional security considerations. Institutions must carefully balance educational access with risks relating to cybersecurity, unauthorized communications, and misuse of digital platforms.

The UN handbook reflects this balanced approach, advocating responsible use rather than unrestricted deployment. The prison debate highlights a wider societal issue. As governments, banks, retailers, and service providers continue their digital transformation programmes, concerns are growing about those left behind. Older adults, low-income households, rural communities, and vulnerable populations can all face barriers to digital participation.