Developing Social Skills in the Prison Context. Results from the Implementation of a Training Program with Prisoners

Abstract

Non-formal education programs play an important role in the rehabilitation process of prisoners. It provides the opportunity for prisoners to engage in useful activities in the prison context, improves their employment prospects after release, facilitates the process of their personal development and transformation and enhances their prospects of developing the motivation, autonomy and responsibility to gain control over their lives after their release. This study aims to present the results of a non-formal education program developed within the context of a curricular internship project, carried out at a Penitentiary Establishment, located in the North of Portugal. The project is part of the third year of a Bachelor Degree programme in Social Education at Portucalense University, which took place from october 2018 to june 2019. The project was organized in four main phases: diagnosis, planning, execution and evaluation. The methods for data collection used were document analysis, observation and questionnaires. The participants in the training program included ten prisoners who kindly volunteered to participate in the training program. The pedagogical strategies used in the training were: role-playing, brainstorming, and self-evaluation grids. The results revealed a positive view by participants and changes in their individual behaviour. Implications of the study and future work will be presented and discussed along the paper.