In the service of reintegration: educators in Hungarian correctional institutions

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that giving inmates adequate education during their custodial sentences can reduce recidivism Gerber and Fritsch, 1993; Ripley, 1993; Vacca, 2004). There is a relative lack of research, however, on the impact of prisons on their own staff, with little systematic examination of the professional community who are tasked with assisting the social adaptation of inmates. Even less attention is generally paid to examining and surveying the prison teachers who design and deliver the prison programs which aim to reduce recidivism. Staff should perform high-quality work to be able to participate in the preparation of inmates for reintegration, but they may be prevented from doing so effectively through restraints, for example, those related to overcrowding and staffing shortages. Presenting both quantitative and qualitative data, this article discusses the main problems constraining the work of corrections educators based in both prisons and colleges in Hungary. The data presented are drawn from an investigation conducted by the three Hungarian lead authors between January 2017 and April 2017. The data collection approach included questionnaires and interviews conducted with corrections educators and staff inside two Hungarian correctional centres and four ‘outside’ educational institutions or colleges