Labor and Education in the Penitentiary System - Basic Components of Rehabilitation

The main objective that future criminal policies, in terms of the execution of sentences, must pursue more and more is the rehabilitation of detainees. Given the complex nature of the rehabilitation process, it is necessary for penitentiary administrations to use as many elements as possible, acting simultaneously or in a well-established order. This process should thus include several factors, such as: the assessment of their socio-educational needs; attending educational courses, vocational training; mastering the rules of behavior in society; cultural-educational actions of physical education and sports; encouraging and supporting family and community connections; moral education and religious assistance; permanent or temporary actions for recreation. In our opinion, of all these, a very important place is occupied by work and education. These fundamental elements will not only correct the personality of the detainee, but, moreover, will give him a better physical and mental condition, these representing, for the penitentiary administration but also for society, the indicators of a changed man, in which society must have full confidence. This paper provides an overview of these two processes, work and education, of persons deprived of their liberty, and emphasizes their importance, both for the detainee and for society as a whole.