The FAIR project was developed to facilitate the exchange of good practices among 4 European organizations working in the field of education and social reintegration of incarcerated individuals. The project primarily addressed the horizontal priority of “Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education and training,” considering the cultural and social marginalization experienced by the prison population across Europe. Although both EU and national regulations acknowledged the role of education in rehabilitation, in practice, incarcerated people still had limited access to meaningful educational and professional opportunities. FAIR aimed to strengthen and expand these pathways to ensure real and lasting reintegration during and after detention. The project also sought to explore and implement restorative justice practices as an alternative to punitive systems, which had often failed in both rehabilitation and victim restitution. A second key goal was to enhance the skills of social workers, operators and facilitators working in prison or close to prison systems, thus addressing the adult education priority “Improving the competences of operators and other staff members through mutual training among partners.
The FAIR project was motivated by the need to expand access to formative and professional opportunities for people in detention, supporting their reintegration and combating stigma and recidivism. A second key motivation was the desire to rethink justice beyond a purely punitive system, promoting restorative justice practices that address harm more effectively and restore dignity to both offenders and victims. Lastly, FAIR aimed to contribute to sustainable development, in line with the UN's Agenda 2030, by empowering one of the most marginalized groups, incarcerated people, through entrepreneurial learning and inclusive participation. The project sought to bridge prison and society, fostering innovative, sustainable, and socially just solutions.