Formal and Non-Formal Education of Adult Convicts - Current Status, Functions and Problem Areas in Slovakia

Abstract

Correctional education is a part of penitentiary treatment in most countries; it takes place in the form of formal and non-formal education, and cultural and edifying activities. However, where strong restrictive measures limit empirical research in this area, as in Slovakia, there is very little knowledge about the process and results of correctional education. The main goal of this study is to try to answer the question of whether the currently set education of convicts is oriented towards desirable personality changes of convicts or rather brings benefits to the penitentiary system. We decided to answer this question on the basis of the authors’ recent research, which was published in the form of a study and a monograph and brought new knowledge about the informal education of convicted women and the perspectives of teachers who educate convicts in secondary education in prison. At the same time, the study offers an overview of the nature of the education of convicts in Slovakia.