Social Education in Prisons in Spain

The aim of this research is to analyse the socio-pedagogical actions carried out in Spanish prisons. To do so, we begin by analysing the main regulations covering educational policy in prisons, share as an essential axis the orientation of the custodial sentence towards the re-education and social reintegration of the prisoners, serving as a basis for justifying social intervention. Secondly, we analysed the prison population, where we observed a prevalence of men over women, a greater presence of crimes related to material offences and an average age of the population between 35 and 45 years old. Thirdly, based on the legislative and contextualized review, we analysed the programmes that are carried out in prison, the socio-educational potentials that may arise, through their principal objectives and the target groups they are aimed at, with the purpose of detecting good socio-educational practices. We underline the social and pedagogical function of these activities, as opposed to the therapeutic vision from which they emanate, highlighting the emancipatory potential of such an approach. Finally, we conclude with the professionalizing principles that can guide good practices in socio-educational intervention in prison, both in the Spanish context and in other countries with similar characteristics.