Internet Access in Portuguese Prisons: Reality or Utopia

Internet usage in Portuguese Prisional Establishments. Reality or an Utopia? • Daniela Graça · danielagraca@ua.pt • Lídia Oliveira · lidia@ua.pt

Internet usage in
Portuguese Prisional Establishments.
Reality or an Utopia?

1/39

Department of Communication and Art, CETAC.MEDIA, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal


Reseach questions

In which way can access to the Internet by
Portuguese inmates become a reality?

Which implications the usage of Internet in
Portuguese Prisional Establishments would
have in inmates lifes?

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Participants/Objects of study

Inmates in Portuguese Prisional Establishments

Portuguese Prisional System (social workers,
teachers, etc.)

3/39



Prison

«the essential of punishment that we, judges,
inflict don’t believe it consists in punishing;
the essential is aiming to correct, reeducate,
“cure“» (Foucault, 1975)

4/39



Prison

«reclusion is “invariable and inevitably an
interruption, a reality between parenthesis.”»
(Cunha, 2004)

5/39



Prison

«The notion of reintegration is based on the
preservation of social bonds, family and marital
relations.» (Cunha & Bastos, 2007)

6/39



Portuguese Penal Legislation

«After the Portuguese Revolution in 1974 (April
25th), the inmate started being recognized as
a citizen with the same rights as the common
citizen, with the same duties and social rights.»

7/39




« The 265/79 law of August 1st (1979), enunciates in the second
article, under the theme “Purposes of the execution” that:

- the execution of penal measures must be
oriented toward the inmates reintegration in
society, preparing the inmate to, in future, lead
his/her life in a responsible and crimeless way.»

8/39




«In the same law, Definition of Execution of Freedom Measures
parameters are determined.

“Life in prison should be as similar as life in
freedom as it is possible, avoiding the negative
consequences of life in prison.”;

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“Execution must, as much as possible,
stimulate inmates participation in his/her
own social reintegration (…)”»

10/39



Portuguese Technological Society

«The Technological Plan is a plan of promotion,
development and competitive reinforcement
of Portugal. The strategy of this plan is based
upon three axis: knowledge, technology, and
innovation.»

11/39



Portuguese Technological Society

“Evolution of computer and broad band Internet usage in portuguese homes”
and “Usage of local and mobile broad band”.
Source: Plano Tecnológico e Novas Oportunidades para o Sector, Rui Grilo, 2009.
12/39



Here’s a thought

Why don’t these two “worlds” become one?

13/39



And some questions

What would that do for inmates reintegration?
How would it contribute for a crimeless life?
In which way would it benefit Portuguese society?

14/39



Field work

The Inmates

15/39



Inmates sample

Distribution of Inquired Inmates by Prisional Establishment (%)

28.
26.

Porto (#54)
Aveiro (#0)
Leiria (#38)
0.
Coimbra (#57)
Tires (#57)
18.

28.

Note: Total of 206 participating inmates. (Aveiro inmates questionaries not included
due to delay in data treatement.) 16/39



Inmates sample

Distribution of Inquired Inmates by Gender (%)

8.

FEMININE
MASCULINE

92.

17/39



Inmates personal profile

Inmates Distribution by Age (%)
40 
36 
35 

30  27 

25 

20 
16 
15 
10  10 
10 

5 
1 
0 
0 
18 to 28 years old  29 to 39 years old  40 to 49 years old  50 to 59 years old  60 to 69 years old  70 to 79 years old  No answer 

18/39




Education (%)

No answer
0

University
2

Other Graduation - Proﬁssional Degree Course
5

High School - 10th, 11th e 12th years
15

3º Degree - 7th, 8th e 9th years
43

2nd Degree - 5th and 6th years
19

1st Degree - 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or Old 4th Portuguese Degree
14

Don't know how to read or write
2

0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50

19/39




Marital Status (%)
60

50
50

40

30

20
18
14
14

10
3
1
0
Single
Married
Living together
Divorced
Widower
No answer

20/39




Family Units Dimension (%)
30
25
25

20
19

15
13
11
10
8
6
5
5
5
3
2
2
1
0
0
0
Living Living Living Living Living Living Living Living Living Living Living Living Living No
alone
with 1 with 2 with 3 with 4 with 5 with 6 with 7 with 8 with 9 with 10 with 11 with 12 answer
person
people
people
people
people
people
people
people
people
people
people
people

21/39




Friends Network Dimension (%)
35
31
30
25
25
20
17
15
8
9
10
3
4
5
1
1
0,25
0,25
0,25
0,25
0
)

)

)

)

h

l

0)
5)

00

le

le
ow

er
ra
(0

15

50

99

g
op

ab
10

sw
to

ve
10

ou
e

kn
to

to

to
on

er
pe

Se
an

an
(1

En
't

m
(6

6

1
N

th

sn

y
w

(1

(5

nu

o
an
e
Fe

N
e
m

e
y

s

In
Do

m
an

ou

or
So

(m
M

g
er

in
um

s

ow
ed
N

Kn
dr
un
H

22/39


0
5
10
15
20
1 to 6 months
25

8
7 months to 1 year
More than 1 year

11
More than 2 year
20

7
More than 3 year

9
More than 4 year
More than 5 year
8
More than 6 year
17

More than 7 year
14

More than 8 year
11

8

More than 9 year
7

More than 10 year
5

More than 11 year
3

More than 12 year
1

More than 13 year
2

More than 14 year
1

More than 15 year
4

More than 16 year
3

More than 17 year
More than 18 year
2
2

More than 19 year
More than 20 year
1
1
Reclusion Time Conviction (#)

More than 21 year
2

More than 22 year
0

More than 23 year
2

More than 24 year
0

More than 25 year
More than 26 year
1
1

More than 27 year
More than 28 year
More than 29 year
More than 30 year
More than 31 year
More than 32 year
0
0
0
0
0
0

More than 33 year
1

More than 34 year
0

23/39



Time in Prison (#)
45
40
41
35
35
30
31
25
20
20
17
15
15
10
7
6
5
5
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
s

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar

ar
th

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye

ye
on

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18
m

to

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an

an
6

th

th

th

th

th

th

th

th

th
s
to

th

th

th

th

th

th

th

th

th

th
e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e
on
1

or

or

or

or

or

or

or

or

or

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e

e
or

or

or

or

or

or

or

or

or
m

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M
7

24/39




Number of Convictions (%)
70

60
58

50

40
35

30

20

10
6
1
0
This is the ﬁrst
Between 1 and 3 4 or more times
No answer
times

25/39



Inmates Internet user profile

Knowing Internet (%)
0.

10.

Yes
No
No answer

90.

26/39




Internet Usage Frequency (%)
35
30
30

25
20
20
17

15
11
9
10
7
6
5

0
Every day, Every day
3 to 5 times a 1 to 2 times a Rarely
Never
No answer
several times a week
week
day

27/39




Internet Context Usage (%)
40
36
35
30
30

25
22

20

15
12

10

5

0
Leisure
Study / Research
Professional
No answer

Note: Question of multiple response. 28/39




Type of Internet Usage (%)
20
19

18
17
16
16

14
12
12
11
10
10

8
7

6
5

4
3

2

0
Talk with friends / Participate in Have fun / Watch Informe myself of Look for a job
Do services Study / Research
Other. Which?
No answer
Family / Other Social Networks videos, pictures, what's (payments,
people
(hi5, facebook, etc.
happening in the shopping,
twitter, etc.)
world
subscribing, etc.)




Inmates Internet user opinions

Internet in Prison (%)

23.

Possible
Impossible
No answer
59.
18.

30/39





37.
Adjusted
Unadjusted
No answer
61.

2.

31/39





21.

0.
Usefull
Useless
No answer

79.

32/39




Internet Usage in Prison (%)
25
22

20
18
16
14
15
12
10
10
7

5
0
1
0

Look for a job

Have an online job

shopping, subscribing, etc.)

Study / Research

Other. Which?
Have fun / Watch videos,
Networks (hi5, facebook,
Talk with friends / Family /

Informe myself of what's
happening in the world

Do services (payments,
Participate in Social

pictures, etc.
Other people

twitter, etc.)





Internet Usage in Prison as an Improvement (%)
30
26
25
24
24
23

20

15

10

5
2
1
0
0
It would It would It would It would Other. Which?
I don't have an It wouldn't
improve the improve my increase my improve my opinion
change
relationship knowledge of capability to education and anything
with my family
the "outside have a job after formation
world"
reclusion




Field work

The Professionals

35/39



Prison professionals view

“Internet is important for inmates emotional balance.”
“Having Internet in prisons it’s just a problem of security.”
“Internet it’s essential for education.
It’s a gradual process.”
“Access to Internet is crucial for education in prisons.”

36/39



Prison professionals view

“Every prison should have a room with computers where
inmates could access the Internet, with no access to certain
websites, limited time of access and contact control.”
“Sooner or later it will become a reality.”
“It only takes will.”

37/39



Conclusion

In a scenario where new technologies occupy a
space of which it is not able to abdicate, where
technology, globalization and security work as
master guides on the construction of sociological
and communication reality, it appears necessary
to question, analyse, and even reformulate the
models of inmates communication with the
“exterior world”.
38/39



THANK YOU!

investigation blog
danielagraca.blogs.ua.sapo.pt/

contacts
danielagraca@ua.pt
+
lidia@ua.pt

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Internet Access in Portuguese Prisons: Reality or Utopia

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