the school’s role in prison: knowledge and experiences of students and teachers

Abstract

The current paper intends to consider the role of schools in prison. Its aim is not only to understand how students and teachers see it, but also try to find ways of improving the quality of life for those deprived of freedom. The nature of the study is qualitative. The subjects of the study are teachers and students in a penitentiary school in the State of São Paulo/Brazil. Methodological procedures used for data collection were observation, informal conversations, and interviews. Data analysis of the study conducted was based on authors working on this theme in Latin America. This study demonstrates that the school is an effective space for socialization, identity construction and learning, therefore fulfilling its most important role of knowledge, culture, and reality intermediation, offering possibilities of preserving the human rights of young people and adults deprived of their liberty.