In 2025 The PPT created a 12-week yoga course, Freedom Inside with Yoga, for people to follow in their cells in HMP Erlestoke on prison service laptops, known as Launchpads.

Part of a 2-year research project, this is a collaboration with colleagues in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and Professor of Criminological Psychology Rosie Meek of Royal Holloway University of London.

It aims to contribute to an evidence base that will help the wider criminal justice sector understand how digital learning and enrichment projects can be cost-effective in supporting rehabilitative interventions in prison.

An important aspect of the pilot was the involvement of users of the course in its co-creation, with content designed to meet specific needs they raised. Learnings from this will influence the next stage, which is an expansion of the project to another 3-5 prisons in England and Wales.

Technologically, most prisons still resemble the 1950s more than the 21st century, but since 2021 more than 16,000 Launchpads have been introduced into 20 prisons.

“I’ve I really got into the yoga. I do it every day, I pull my mat out in the mornings, put the new session on and away I go. I’d like to say a very, very big thank you. It’s very much appreciated.” Nick

Responses to the pilot were very positive with more than 50% of the prisoners in HMP Erlestoke taking part. Prison staff are also being asked if they’ve noticed any changes in people taking part in yoga.

One staff member wrote that a man in recovery from addiction had a goal to stay sober ‘til lunchtime:

“I just wanted to let you know that he came into my office this morning and was glowing. He stated he loved yesterday; he had the best night’s sleep ever and fell asleep at 6pm and slept all night. He also did not use at all yesterday 😊. I am giving him a mat and he is going to try your videos in his cell now.”

Thanks to support from funders, this research project will continue run throughout 2026, with results published in 2027.

“This was an amazing project that has over-delivered in its result from a starting point of 0 prisoners to half the prison population doing some yoga.” Digital Manager, HMP Erlestoke