Winchester MP, Mark Oaten, has called on the Government to get tough on crime by getting serious about education in prisons.

Citing figures from a Home Office report, he said more than 50% of all offenders return to crime within two years of being released.

"Education can help break this cycle of crime - teaching basic skills and vocational training can cut re-offending by up to 12%, according to studies in Canada," he said.

"Prison isn't working. The Government has to realise that education isn't the soft option anymore. Tough on crime is easy and grabs headlines - it's sorting out the causes that's challenging.

"There can be no greater indictment of our failure towards prisoners than Home Office figures that suggest only 20% of them could even begin to fill in an application form for a job on release."

Mr Oaten is calling for a standard education system common to all prisons. "Education in prisons is a mess right now: there are 139 prisons and they all do things differently," he continued.

"Teachers do a great job, but often they can be seen as just an optional extra. Education needs to be brought to the centre of prisons.

"That means we need to put learners at the heart of the system. At the moment, some 60% of prisoners may have no access to education at all. That's wrong.

"We need a national entitlement for prisoners' that guarantees them access to key elements of education.

"We must also root out bad practice and disincentives. There's often a Berlin Wall divide between prison and education staff.

"They have different priorities right now. And under the prisoner pay system, prisoners can earn more in prison kitchens than studying in classes. That does not help promote education.

"Prison education needs investment and reform and it is good news that the Government is beginning to get interested in this area. These changes will help to begin to turn the tables on crime"

* Education facilities at Winchester Prison were praised in a recent Government inspection report which described the quality of teaching there as "satisfactory or better".

The jail's Custody to Work unit was singled out for particular praise. Still in its infancy, it aims to equip prisoners coming to the end of their sentences with the necessary skills to gain employment on leaving prison.