EDUCATION IN PRISONS – AN ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN PREVENTING RECIDIVISM. THE ROLE OF DETENTION OFFICERS IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Abstract

The success of reintegration into the society of persons deprived of their liberty depends, to a large extent, on the educational programs performed in prisons. Previous studies on prison education have mainly focused on programs aimed at developing life skills or transmitting professional competences relevant to the labor market after release. A less analyzed aspect was focused on the impact of positive role models in the educational process and how exposure to this role models influence their reintegration after release. Prison staff, especially those with whom detainees interact daily, influence their perceptions on the time spent in prison, as well as the way they relate to the period following their release. If the way detention officers manage day-to-day activities and interaction with detainees is perceived as fair, equitable and in line with the rules of detention, positive patterns of behavior appear, with a beneficial impact on compliance with prison rules, participation in educational programs and social reintegration following their release. By creating positive role models, detainees will have healthy benchmarks to follow, the effectiveness of educational programs offered in prisons will increase significantly and, thus, inmates will be able to reintegrate more easily into society, playing an active role in the community they belong to. This article examines previous studies from Europe concerning the influence of positive role models among detention officers on the behavior of detainees, with the purpose of identifying good practices that can be adapted to the Romanian prison system context.