In Europe
The Council of Europe has drawn up two documents: the first in 1989 and the second in 2006. Their aim is to give a framework to education and training in a prison environment in European countries.
These guidelines on education in prison and penitentiary regulations are just recommendations and nation-states are free to follow them or not.
Certain programmes have helped encourage certain European states to grant prisoners access to training.
Exemple : Grundtvig Programme
The European Commission has set up several action plans in the field of education and training (in the SOCRATES Framework).
The programme has various objectives including, in particular, helping vulnerable social groups and/ or living in marginal situations, facilitating the development of innovative practices in adult education and also when they move from one country to another, for example. It is also a question in this programme of supporting development in the life-long continuing education sector.
GRUNDTVIG European Project (educational partnership): " E-Learning education for prisoners and prison professionals ", (2009-2011) whose objective is to establish a European network for studies on education in prison.
For more information, see the link:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274383945_E-LEARNING_FOR_PRISONERS_EXPERIENCES_FROM_ITALY_AND_FRANCE