Enhancing Social Reintegration: The Impact of Lifelong Education on Probationers’ Adaptation in Türkiye

Probation is a judicial practice aimed at completing the integration process of individuals who meet the appropriate conditions into society in a controlled manner. Various educational activities and projects are organised by the relevant institutions of the Ministry of Justice during the probation process. This study examines how the activities organised for probationers during the probation process were evaluated by those who received education, and to what extent the social adaptation status of probationers changed with lifelong education. The quantitative data of this study, which was designed with an exploratory sequential design, were collected through the lifelong learning scale and social adjustment self-assessment scales, and qualitative data were collected through interviews. The research sample consisted of 122 probationers (21 of whom were interviewed) selected through convenience sampling. The results showed that the probationers were highly motivated for lifelong learning and felt socially compatible with society. The participants stated that they were not sufficiently exposed to vocational and social training during their enforcement period. They were satisfied with the projects they were involved in during the probation process but thought that planning such projects in a way that would not affect their daily lives would increase their social adaptation. The participants believed that the vocational training dimension of the training should be more intensive. It is recommended that the training given to the probationers during the probation process should be within a specific programme aimed at acquiring vocational and social skills.