Several prisoners are pursuing academic programmes at the Bermuda College as part of the broader mandate of the Department of Corrections to provide inmates with a range of rehabilitative opportunities upon release, MPs heard this week.

Dennis Lister III, the Junior Minister of Justice, told the House of Assembly during the Budget debates on Monday that the inmates have made impactful contributions to the department’s coeducational and farm facilities, which enabled the unit to save hundreds in food costs during the past fiscal year.

In the 2026-27 fiscal plan, the department was allocated $26.88 million which represented an increase of 9 per cent over the previous year.

Mr Lister said additional funds are catered for in the Budget for the educational services provided by the department.

He said in the past fiscal year, 57 inmates were “actively engaged” in various educational courses and classes offered internally and in conjunction with partner agencies.

“The programmes delivered during this fiscal year reflected a balanced investment in foundational education, digital literacy, tertiary preparation, professional certification and creative expression,” Mr Lister said.

He told the House of a “significant” partnership with the Bermuda College in the year ahead for inmates to sit the institution’s placement test.

“This initiative creates a structured pathway for incarcerated learners to enrol in Bermuda College preparatory courses, aiming for long-term diploma and associate degree completion,” he said.

Mr Lister said instructors from the college are expected to deliver in-facility classes at the department by the summer.

MPs heard that 14 inmates completed various courses offered by the college over the past year as part of its Apace programme.

The courses — which were subsidised via funding by the Department of Workforce Development — included project management and Microsoft Excel, which Mr Lister said provided the students with “industry relevant credentials”.

He said nine students were enrolled in a Duolingo language programme in which they studied English, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Mandarin.

Mr Lister said 11 inmates were actively enrolled in the General Education Development pathway programme which he said remains a key component of academic rehabilitation of the prisons.

In addition, five inmates are pursing accredited academic programmes including religious studies, two inmates have independently completed their master’s degrees while two inmates are benefiting from newly available funding for online tertiary education.

“These achievements represent significant milestones in higher education participation within the correctional environment and reflect measurable rehabilitative progress,” Mr Lister said.

Meanwhile, MPs also heard that the agriculture programme of the department’s farm and coeducational facilities produced eggs and vegetables for consumption by the prison population, which Mr Lister said resulted in a “decrease in food purchases”.

He said during the past year, the two facilities produced a variety of vegetables including lettuce, beans, mustard greens, pumpkins, onions, spinach and turnips.

The animal programme, which includes chickens, managed to produce 3,382 eggs for consumption by the prison population, which equated to savings totalling about $2,087.

Mr Lister said in the fiscal year ahead, the department plans to expand its poultry programme with the aim of supplying eggs to all its facilities.

A goat-rearing programme is also expected to cut food costs.

He said: “This structured programme not only promotes personal growth and responsibility through daily care and livestock management, but also provides participants with practical experience that can lead to meaningful employment and independence after reintegration into the community.”

Mr Lister said that in the year ahead, the Government plans to address staff shortages at the department as he noted that there are 175 personnel who staff the unit.

He said a total of 218 employees are catered for in the Budget.

To this end, he said the department recently recruited six prison officers who completed training last month while nine applicants from overseas are being offered contracts to join the department.