Views of Detainees for the Provision of Lyceum Education in the Closed Prisons of the Greek Territory

The education of all members of society is a prerequisite for the development of modern globalized society. Given this admission adult education and in particular, education of adults belonging to vulnerable social groups such as prisoners should be a particular concern. The various peculiarities of inmates increase the chances of their educational and by extension their exclusion. It is therefore imperative to provide educational programs that meet both their specific characteristics and the purpose of the custodial sentence. The initiative to operate an organized high school educational structure, for the first time in the Greek territory, within the 2nd Second Chance School (SCS) Prison School in Larissa and the absence of relevant surveys in Greece has led to an investigate both the views of prisoners – trainees on the structure for the provision of formal high school education in prisons and also the views of the education executives related to the incarcerated population. More specifically, the research objectives related to the views of education officers who are related to the training of prisoners in terms of the conditions of provision of high school education to prisoners, the role of the informal educational structure of high school level which operated inside the Court Prisons of Larissa as well as the factors that inhibit the prisoners’ attendance in the second level of secondary education. At the same, the prisoners’ expectations of attending high school were investigated and, in particular, the motivation to participate in the informal educational structure of SCS in the prisons of Larissa as well as the positive and negative elements of the operation of the structure. The methodological approach followed was that of qualitative research with a research tool, the semi – structured interview, on a sample of six individuals. The analysis of the findings has revealed the beneficial effect of attending structures of high school level on both the individual and on the community. However, given the existing conditions, the willingness of the internees acquire to high school education is made more difficult and any effort to provide high school education to prisoners is confronted with insurmountable impediments. Among the inhibitors of high school education of the prisoners were the conditions of detention, the insufficiency of prison time allotted for this purpose, the level of knowledge of the Greek language and the absence of a specific program tailored to the characteristics and needs of the detainees and in harmony with the aim of correction and the (re)integration of the prisoner. The above – mentioned research findings are in agreement with corresponding findings from the review of the relevant bibliography and could be a perpetual advisor and guide for anyone who researches and deals with the education of the vulnerable social group of prisoners.