Pamela has been teaching in HMP Magilligan since 2011, delivering Open College Network (OCN) accreditation. During her time as a prison educator, all her students have completed their accreditation and she has a 100% retention record.
Pamela believes that supporting creative writing in prison provides a vital role in the lives of prisoners: how they re-evaluate themselves; how they stay connected with their families and manage the survival of these relationships under duress.
Pamela offers a range of teaching strategies to help her students develop writing skills, literacy, self-advocacy and self-reflection. The awards they receive yearly are outstanding, with submissions to Listowel Prison Writing and Koestler Arts Awards, and student work exhibited in London’s South Bank Centre. Working with Pamela, students gain skills in compiling books of poetry, anthologies, memoirs, short stories, and article writing. They also adapt to teamwork activities easily transferrable to daily interactions and a work environment.
During the pandemic, Pamela created over 100 writing resources, including a resource on the European Prison Education Association (EPEA) website.
