Prisoners are one of the most socially and economically disadvantaged groups in society, with low levels of educational attainment and involvement in higher education. This paper reviews the literature on prisoners and higher education to consider the link between higher education and desistance from crime, utilising Giordano et al\u27s, (2002) theory of cognitive transformation and Mazirow\u27s theory of transformative learning. Higher Education has many advantages for prisoners and former prisoners, providing opportunities to develop new skills, self-respect, resilience and it can also assist in the development of a new identity as a non-offender, and the sense of a new life and how it can be realised. This new identity is an essential f...