Analysis of the educational system of penitentiary institutions in Lithuania

According to such methodical regulations as the theory of socialization, A.H. Maslow`s theory of hierarchy of needs, the European dimension of the education, from the systemic point of view the person and from and from the multi-disciplined point of view to the deviantical behavior, I looked through the P.D.Į.Š.S. of Lithuania nowadays. I used the analysis of main methods-scientific literature, documents (local and international acts of law, which regulate Educational System of Penitentiary Institutions of Lithuania) also the comparative analysis and the completed questionnaires of the convicts. Wanting to reach the basic goal of this work-to form and prove the modern E.S.P.I..- I put up some aims: 1. To analyze the educational system of P.I. of Lithuania nowadays, the documents which regulate it and compare this system with the models of E.S.P.I. of the chosen countries (Sweden, Danmark, Canada, Russia and Estonia), the realization and the experience of the social-educational decisions and directions that are formed by EU. 2. To search the needs for education of people who are convicted. 3. To show and prove the model of E.S.P.I. in Lithuania and offer the ways and possibilities how to make it true, also show the recommendations for sowing the realization and social-educational problems of improvement in these institutions at the beginning of the work I had some hypotheses; 1. The solution of social-educational problems of convicts, matches the social, psychological, physical and the other features of their personalities and influence the transformation of the position of these people from negative into positive. 2. The solution of social-educational problems of convicts and humanization of E.S.P.I. gives the presumption for socialization and integration of the convicts. I had some hypotheses during the investigation: 1. The younger convicts have less needs for education than the elder ones: after they had finished school and had more experience in their lives. 2. Convicts, who have a higher point of view to their evaluation, have a negative position about education. 3. Ihe point of view of convicts to the education and their needs to have it depends an their social-demographical characters: the older people who have the higher education and grew in both-parent families are ready to realize the meaning of education and feel the need for it. During the investigation I looked through the completed questionnaires of convicts.872 convicts have been asked and that is 11 per cent of all people who are convicted in Lithuania. I looked out through the literature, analyzed different acts which regulate educational system of the P. I. in Lithuania, the needs for education of the convicts in Lithuania and looking through the experience of foreign countries above, organizing the educational system of P. I, I came to such conclusions: 1. The educational system of the P. I. is the compounded part of common educational system and has specific goals, aims, forms and various social-educational methods that help the transgressors to reintegrate into the society. 2. Nowadays the educational system of the P. I. of Lithuania does not fit the international standards, the requirements of EU, the documents which regulate its work cannot be realized in practice. By the way, the needs and hopes of convicts are not satisfied in the Penitentiary Institutions in Lithuania. According to the data of investigation, convicts want to have a chance to get a higher education than they had got before. That proves that in the modern educational system of P.I. should be paid the special attention to education of convicts. 3. The goals, aims and social order have influence on the goals of studies and the content of educational programs of the convicts, as educational mission of P. I. 4. According to the international experience, I can say, that programs of special education, put into practice, help the convicts to socialize and adapt themselves in the society. If we want to create more modern educational system of P.I , we have to look through the needs of the convicts, the ES requirements and the international experience and put the special educational programs for convicts into practice. These programs would help the convicts to adapt themselves in the society and get the better social and psychological guaranties when they are free. 5. Modern teaching of the convicts must pay attention to such principles as the united preparing for education and getting the profession; comparing the formal and informal teaching; collaboration between teachers and students in the educational process, integration into the worldwide educational system of P.I. 6. The main part of convicts needs for the formal teaching and it is evaluated as a positive point of view of convicts to the improvement of educational system in the penitentiary institutions. As a resume, I can say that the needs and hopes of convicts in the P.I. of Lithuania are realized at the minimum or are not realized at all. On the other hand, nowadays the educational system of P.I. of Lithuania does not fit the international standards and requirements. All the hypotheses, I had at the beginning of the work, are partly or completely proved. Practical recommendations: 1. The disagreement between educational requirements of convicts and financial possibilities, which are given by the state, can be solved by the Parliament and the Government only, improving the policy of educational system of P.I. of Lithuania, especially, having high requirements for the teaching quality and getting closer to the worldwide standards and giving stable financial possibilities for the realization of the chosen goals and aims 2. The center of evaluation of quality of educational system of P.I. should be created in Lithuania and it should become the main center of consultation, coordination, realization and formation of programs of education and socialization. 3. The programs, which do not fit the chosen standards, could be improved in the process of their realization using the means of private funds of P.I., and the programs, which got positive evaluation, should get the financial means from the budget. 4. The educational structures which are realizing the educational programs and programs of socialization of convicts, should analyze the educational process of convicts at least once a year. The results of educational programs must be always investigated by completing the questionnaires by the convicts and those, who are free now, themselves. 5. P.I. should create the associations of teachers, who would help to evaluate and correct the programs, help to get the job to those who have left the one of penitentiary institutions. All the goals and the aims of education and socialization of convicts should be formed clearer, the means of modern educational technologies and technologies of information should be widely used in the process of education. 6. If we want to have a modern educational system of P.I., I would suggest to start it from formation of base of the financial sources that would help to do our best to reach the goals and aims we have. I recommend to sign the contracts of partnership or communicate with the different institutions of education (comprehensive schools, professional schools, universities and etc.) which could help to reach the different levels of education and specialization.Švietimo akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta