UCL Launches Seminar Series at HMP Belmarsh

Left to right: Dr Caroline Parker (UCL), Toyin Agbetu (UCL) and Dan Whyte (DWRM) 

Reflecting its commitment to widening participation beyond traditional learning environments, UCL successfully launched a seminar series last Spring for incarcerated students at HMP Belmarsh, a Category A high-security men’s prison.  

In May of this year, UCL successfully launched its new 10-week educational initiative at HMP Belmarsh, alongside our partners, Doing What Really Matters (DWRM)—a social enterprise aimed at increasing opportunities to further and higher education for those in prison.  
 
Directed by Dr Caroline Parker, UCL Lecturer of Anthropology and Deputy Director of UCL’s Social Data Institute, the aim of the seminar series was to allow those in prison to benefit from UCL’s world-leading education. 

UCL academics from a wide range of disciplines were brought together to teach the series, including from the Schools of Anthropology, History, Philosophy, Law, Latin American Studies, African Studies and Art History.  

Each week, the seminars welcomed between five and 20 incarcerated learners, offering them the opportunity for academic engagement and critical discussion.  

This initiative reflects UCL’s ongoing commitment to widening participation and fostering access to education beyond traditional settings. 
 

Useful Links:
Doing What Really Matters  
Dr Caroline Parker 
UCL Faculty of Social & Historical Sciences 
Article: Unlocking Potential