Openings and introductions: education for the many, prison for the few

Setting the pioneering work of The Open University in context, the chapter explains how and why it’s work in prison is so consistent with its guiding principles. It recalls the passionate egalitarian beliefs that propelled The OU from the start, that continue to sustain it and that flow through the chapters. Each chapter is briefly introduced and the gift of the (prisoner) artist who provided the front cover image is celebrated.