Education behind grills

human dimensions of life, learning and work in Chilean prisons

Abstract

The following study was conducted inside a prison in Valparaíso, a place unknown to most of the city's inhabitants. The main objective was to understand the dynamics of students deprived of their liberty, to imagine the world faced by those convicted for the first time, and to learn about their opinions on the opportunities available inside the prison after many years of incarceration. For the fieldwork, a qualitative methodology was used under the focus group technique, which was applied prior to conducting interviews with some inmates, referring to their experience in prison, in terms of job offers and decision-making in this context as a result of the value placed on education and work. The analysis considers the meaning given to work and education in prison from a political, sociological, and educational perspective to address the complexity of those who live in deprivation of liberty. The study reports on their impressions from the moment of admission and the necessary adaptation they undergo in their own environment. They are faced with uncertainties in making decisions to survive through economic improvements in jobs that are precarious. A lack of information regarding the right to education and work in prison is detected, as well as the difficulty of visualizing the paradigm of lifelong education. On the other hand, the impact of the neoliberal system is exacerbated.