Getting Back on Education: What’s Learning Look Like in Indonesian Prison High School?

In Indonesia, 40 million children still live in household that earn less than $2 per day, which put them in the poverty line [1]. Many of these young people are imprisoned due to criminal activity such as truancy, small theft in the bus or train station, begging or drug missus, and vagrancy. In Indonesia, there are 3.2 per cent of young people under 18 years of the total prison population. The aims of this study is to examine how young inmates access to Indonesia prison high school and what is learning look like in prison high school? Using qualitative interviews with 40 upper secondary prison-based school students, this study investigated inmate students’ pathways on upper secondary education, motivations behind participation and the feeling self-worth in this program. Results indicate that participating in a prison school should be maintained. Most of inmate students in Sekolah Istimewa the Juvenile Special Development Agency (LPKA) Tangerang and Sekolah Terbuka LPKA Bandung entered prison-based high school by; (i) compulsory entrance (ii) voluntary decision; (iii) inclusive educational program; (iv) the role of teacher and prison officer; (v) leisure activities. Despite various reasons, providing education to incarcerated young people can be understood as human right and those who participating in educational activities in the prison may reduce recidivism and increase the likelihood of finding work.