This exhibition results from a groundbreaking course undertaken by prisoners from Cork Prison in collaboration with University College Cork (UCC). Developed by HSE Addiction Services, UCC, and James Leonard of ‘The Two Norries’ podcast, this module is the first UCC-accredited course in Substance Misuse and Addiction Studies offered within an Irish prison.
UCC/HSE Level 7 NFQ Diploma in Substance Misuse and Addiction Studies Module (SS184): Understanding Drugs in a Social Context
Approach: The module uses a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach to assessment, aimed at attracting a diverse range of adult learners in the prison education unit. This method supports multiple means of performance, expression and representation, ensuring that all students can demonstrate their understanding in varied ways.
Content: Students study major psychopharmacological substances, both licit and illicit, including alcohol, antidepressants, anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, hallucinogens, hypnotics, cannabis and cannabinoids, opiates, and stimulants. The course covers routes of transmission and the physical, mental, social and legal impacts of substance misuse. It also explores substance use on a continuum from no use to severe dependence and its effects on individuals, families, communities and society. Critical examination includes historical and socio-cultural understandings, abstinence approaches, harm reduction, safer injecting facilities and medical uses of controlled substances.
Aims: The course aims to equip students with knowledge of commonly misused substances, differentiating between substance use, misuse, dependence and addiction. It addresses the pharmacology of drugs and their biological, mood, behavioral and cognitive impacts. Students are engaged with Irish drug and alcohol policies and historical perspectives on substance misuse. The course introduces theoretical models of addiction, including the Moral, Bio-Medical, Disease, Psychological, and Socio-Cultural Models. It also evaluates non-substance-related addictions, such as gambling, gaming, and internet use, along with their treatments. Additionally, the course discusses critical issues affecting individuals with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health disorders.
Assessment and Learning Outcomes: Assessment includes continuous evaluation and an Object-Based Learning (OBL) project.
Supported by Cork ETB art teachers and an art therapist, students created final assessment artefacts that reflect their learning journey.
Transformational Learning: This exhibition showcases these artefacts, providing evidence of the students’ engagement and understanding. It aims to evoke curiosity, wonder, and appreciation for the transformative power of education within the prison environment.
The Inside Out Project
The Inside Out Project comprises both ‘outside students,’ who are second- and third-year BA students from the Department of Sociology & Criminology at UCC, and ‘inside students,’ who are students from the Cork Prison ETB Education Unit.
This project is designed to break barriers and prejudices, offering all students a unique opportunity to study together as peers behind prison walls.
