Learning behind bars: Education in prisons

This article is based on the negotiated meanings of ‘teaching’ and learning' in prisons. It is informed by the peripheral experiences of prisoners and the legitimate peripheral participation of their teachers. It was found that teachers and students are interdependent and feel equally marginalized. The positions occupied by teachers make legitimate peripheral participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991) possible though it is restricted within limits imposed by their place of work. The research, based on in-depth interviews of four teachers explores the challenges facing both teachers and their students. Concerns about prisoners' dignity, their human rights, entitlement to education and recognition of their learning difficulties are voiced against a culture of acquiescence and unquestioning obedience demanded by the prison regime outside the education classes.