We aimed to capture the current situation and to publish a Good Practices Guide on adult education in prison and detention centres and a Competences Structure Training Guide for adult learners to build up transversal skills to adult learner. Expanding upon the Council of Europe Recommendations on Prison Education, which emphasize the importance of providing educational opportunities to incarcerated individuals for their holistic development, successful reintegration, and reduced likelihood of reoffending (RECOMMENDATION No. R (89)12), our project was designed to establish a suitable informal learning environment. This environment aimed to empower individual learners to function effectively and flourish in an ever-evolving and competitive knowledge-driven society upon their release. Moreover, our project also recognized another significant aspect of the benefits of prison education, particularly at a community level. By fostering the development of essential competencies, it contributed to social cohesion and helped prevent the marginalization of former inmates through active and engaged citizenship. To attain active and engaged citizenship post-release, detainees needed to work on enhancing their key competences.
While legal systems vary among different states, it appears that imprisonment rates are on the rise in most of them. The primary issue arising from this surge in incarceration is the overcrowding of inmates in detention facilities. Detention facilities are typically operating at around 90 to 100% of their total capacity in many European countries. Overcrowding has significant implications for penitentiary policy, which is hastily responding to its consequences. Imprisonment itself presents unfavorable conditions for social reintegration. The isolation, institutionalization, and stigma associated with incarceration are significant barriers to the successful reintegration of released prisoners. Selecting an appropriate social reintegration program is a complex task that requires a comprehensive assessment of various factors, including the prison environment, the individual prisoner, professionals involved, the community, institutions, and available resources. In this context, our proposal aimed to establish an appropriate non-formal learning environment to support individual learners in functioning effectively and thriving in an increasingly dynamic and competitive knowledge-based society after their release.