by PublicABCP
Translated and reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling
The study Environmental Education and Citizenship in Prison Settings: Results of a Study with Inmates in Portugal, conducted by Jesus Manuel Delgado-Mendez (UFRB), Sara Dias-Trindade (University of Coimbra), and José António Moreira (Open University, Portugal), investigates the impact of environmental education on the construction of citizenship within the prison system. Inspired by the guidelines of the Council of Europe, which advocate for inmates’ access to educational programs, the study situates itself within the broader debate on the challenges of social reintegration for incarcerated populations.
In light of the ongoing crisis in the Brazilian prison system—currently affecting more than 700,000 people—the authors analyze the experience of a course on citizenship and the environment held in a prison in the Porto region of Portugal, aiming to assess its applicability and impact.
To develop the research, the authors adopted the Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, which enables iterative experimentation and evaluation of teaching models. The study involved 17 inmates of Portuguese, Brazilian, and Mozambican nationalities, participating in a hybrid learning environment.
Activities took place both in person, at a correctional facility in the Porto region, and virtually, through the Moodle On@Pris platform of the Open University. The course was organized into six in-person sessions, spaced 14 days apart, in which cinema served as a pedagogical tool to stimulate reflection on citizenship and sustainability.
The results indicated that the pedagogical model was effective in fostering critical reflection and active engagement among participants. The discussions—both in person and online—showed that inmates developed a more mature understanding of the relationship between society and the environment.
Analysis of the debates revealed a high level of engagement and self-criticism, as the course encouraged inmates to broaden their perception of citizenship. The findings suggest that environmental education can serve as a pathway to social reintegration for incarcerated individuals.
The research also reinforces the idea that the prison system can function as an ecosystem for resocialization, where education plays a central role. The authors highlight that linking citizenship with environmental awareness can help rebuild inmates’ social relations without infringing on their fundamental rights.
Furthermore, the results from Portugal suggest that this pedagogical model could be adapted to other contexts—particularly the Brazilian prison system, which still lacks effective public policies focused on education and reintegration.
The active participation of inmates and the quality of discussions underscore that well-structured educational initiatives can transform individuals’ perceptions of their role in society. The study calls for robust public policies aimed at prison education, opening new avenues for reintegration both in Brazil and abroad.
Author Profiles
Jesus Manuel Delgado-Mendez is a Professor of Applied Ecology and Natural Resource Conservation at the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB). He holds a degree in Agronomic Engineering from UFSM-RS (Brazil, 1975), a Master’s in Resource Policy and Planning from Cornell University (USA, 1981), a PhD in Forest Conservation from ESALQ-USP (Brazil, 2008), and a Postdoctoral degree in ICT Applications from the University of Coimbra / Open University (Portugal, 2020).
Sara Dias-Trindade holds a PhD in History Didactics from the University of Coimbra, where she is a Professor in the Department of History, European Studies, Archaeology, and Arts. She is an integrated researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies (CEIS20) at the University of Coimbra.
José António Moreira holds a Master’s and PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Coimbra. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education and Distance Learning at the Open University (Portugal) and an integrated researcher at CEIS20.
Technical Information
Title: Environmental Education and Citizenship in Prison Settings: Results of a Study with Inmates in Portugal
Authors: Jesus Manuel Delgado-Mendez, Sara Dias-Trindade, and José António Moreira
Year: 2021
Published in: Revista Educação & Formação, vol. 6
