Educazione e carcere. Una proposta dal Brasile

The debate on education in prison in Brazil is widening, as a process of mass imprisonment is ongoing, affecting, in particular, young Afro-descendants historically excluded. Conservative policies that want to turn the prison into a merely punitive tool are challenged by others that want to make it an educational experience.

In this article, we will analyze the educational proposal, aimed at social reintegration, of the Associations of Protection and Assistance to the Condemned, which manage “prisons without armed police” accepting people accused of even the most violent crimes, and declare a reduction in recidivism and a lower social and economic cost. The analysis results will be presented here through critical reading, mainly of the founder’s dissemination book.

The research out that prison must be considered an educational community. Therefore, besides school education, additional training is needed for all officials, prisoners, and volunteers. The informal educational processes in the relationships among inmates and the outside world must also be considered when planning education for convicted persons, stimulating the meeting opportunities. At the same time, education aims for society’s institutions to be educated in concomitance with the inmates.