Monday 24^th of october:

On Monday we visited the prison in Sintra “Establelecimento Prisonal de Sintra”. We were welcomed by the director Dr.Joao Guimas, vicedirector Dr. Luzjero Paninha, school leader Maria Luisa Goncalves and our host Victor Santos.

At first we had a presentation of the prison by the vicedirector. It was interesting to hear that even though we have cultural and geographical differences many of the aims, possibilities and challenges are similar in our countries. These issues being inmates mental health, short on staff etc. Dr. Luzjero also gave a historical background of the prison, so we could get a better understanding of the way they are organized today.

About content:

The activities in school were primarily connected to school or workshops. They had in total 9 engineers who where in charge of the different workplaces such as carpeting, agriculture, kitchen, metalwork and pasture of the animals.

At the school they have 12 teachers who take care of about 90 learners everyday divided into two groups, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The school provide education connected to primary, secondary and upper secondary school. At the moment the school n general offer general studies, but they do have som VET cources such as electricians and gardening. Earlier they offered cooking as well.

One of the classes is an ICT class, which is in the Portuguese curriculum. This classroom for this course is the only one that have computers for inmates to use. In total they had 12 computers in that room. The computers are off-line. In the course the earners learn about Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel and they can learn something about some google account cloud applications. In some rare occasions the teacher can get one learner at a time internet access. When this happens the learners computer is projected to the classroom board so everyone, especially the teacher, can see what the learner is doing.

In every classroom the teachers have an opportunity to go online using a mobil device in the form of an USB-stick. In this way the teachers are able to show for example films from the internet to be used in the lessons.

Tuesday 25th of october

On Tuesday we visited the school where the teachers are employed. In the same way as in Norway the education in prisons in Portugal is an imported service. At the school “Agrupamento de Escolas D. Carlos I” we were met by leader of the prison education in Sintra Maria Luisa Goncalves, teacher from the prison education Maria Regina Lambiza,, and our host Victor Santos.

At first we heard about the NGO to our host Victor Santos, which is called Form2you. This organization works for bettering condition for people in an vulnerable situation. We were also told about the quit big number of different projects and the content of the projects this organization is participating in. With our aim in mind the prison projects GUTS and STEP stood out as the most interesting, despite the fact that every project they attended could have very important outcomes. The two projects mentioned here is both connected to prison. Where GUTS is about music and the use of music in the inmates rehabilitation, the STEP project is about how prison education can better the way to get distance learning.

About the school.

Agrupamento de Escolas D. Carlos I covers education to pupils from the age of 3 to 18. They have kindergardens, elementary school, secondary school and upper secondary school in the ocation we visited in Sintra. They even have some VET courses at this location. To see more about this school go to adcarlosi.pt

Program:

Monday 24 October:

Visit Prison Estabelecimento Prisional de Sintra

Tuesday 25 October:

Visit School: Agrupamento de Escolas D. Carlos I.

Wednesday 26 October:

Visit Lisobon, the Castelo, Jeronimos monastery, maritime memorial, the district of Belem, the statue of Jesus over the bridge

Today there is about 750 inmates in two security regimes, one open and one more restricted. Do to this, and the fact that 31 guards in total are at work to take care of the security in the prison, it is not possible for everyone to have activities. Another reason is the large area that the prison covers which cause inmates to be followed by guards from the cells and living facilities to the activity areas such as the school. The guards following the inmates can also be a challenge when the number of guards for some reason is lesser than its supposed to be, since the inmates then can’t go to school.

We also got a tour of the prison, and it was nice to sense the atmosphere of the prison, which was calm and relaxed. The vicedirector underlined that this was the atmosphere they had everyday and as they tried to enforce through their interactions with the inmates.

Pursuant to the law of July 20, 1912 and with the aim of collecting vagrants from 16 to 60 years of age and trying to regenerate them through work, the Sintra Penal Colony was created, today, the Sintra Prison.

Initially functioning as an agricultural colony, the Establishment still maintains this tradition, employing, on average, fifty inmates in the cultivation of vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, leek, green beans), pasture for the animals ( sheep and goats) and forestry (clearing the forest and selling firewood).

Given the predominantly urban origin of the prison population (convicted inmates from the Greater Lisbon area), the establishment also has several workshops (carpentry, metalwork, auto mechanics). There are different areas of accommodation: an area for inmates in a closed regime, with two wings (A and B) and an area with three autonomous pavilions for inmates in the Open Regime Facing the Interior (RAVI) and the Open Regime Facing the Outside (RAVE).

The two wings (A and B) underwent extensive refurbishment, namely the installation of sanitary equipment in all cells, which allowed for an improvement in living conditions.

In the playgrounds of the two wings, spaces were built for the practice of multiple sports activities (volleyball, basketball and football).

The 1st Floor of the 1st Pavilion of Ala B was adapted for the implementation of an Intervention in Drug Addiction project in Sintra (PITS), and has been in operation since January 2005.

We had a conversation with all three at the school and learned a lot about the school system in Portugal. We also had the chance to direct the conversation to digital competence of the learners. One of the challenges they find in this regard in SIntra is the lack of computers in classrooms, which was underlined by the comment: “Off course I miss computers in my classroom”. Another challenge in general in the schools in Portugal was the lack of ICT teachers, and this adding to a suspicion that teachers themselves is in lack of ICT competence to use the ICT opportunities of the world today, og therefore also the possibility to teach this use to the pupils/learners.

In general we from Norway was impressed by the passion that both the school and the NGO showed fore this group of people, and fore prison education in general. It is nice to see that through out the world prison education is connecting through a big heart, a positive view on human beings and an eager to help inmates to a new beginning.