Supporting prison inmates in education for life

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to investigate issues of power/knowledge (specifically, the use of the techniques of hierarchical observation, normalizing judgment, and examination) in an adult education initiative taking place in a prison context. The initiative, called the BRIDGE project, sought to provide a framework for aftercare support. Research has shown that ex-inmates face serious difficulties in reintegrating into society after release, and that some sort of support may ultimately increase the chance of desistance from crime. I have chosen to apply a Foucauldian perspective in my examination of this project to examine how the abovementioned techniques perpetuate power/knowledge dynamics. By choosing Foucault’s writings about discipline in prison as my theoretical framework for this study, I aimed to be critically reflective about my involvement in this project. The project created two tools: a resource pack with ten lessons and a web-application which permitted the monitoring of educational development, and the communication between the teacher and the learner. This study makes use of the concepts explained by Foucault, my experiences in the project, and the participants’ responses in the piloting of the BRIDGE project’s implementation at the Corradino Correctional Facility. My critical reflection has led me to discover that, despite the innovative nature of technology in this project its apparently innocent aims, power/knowledge dynamics are still present. This presents the educator with possibilities of resistance for their subversion and the creation of contexts which contest inequality.