Jurastuderende bag tremmer: Transformativ læring og social forandring

Since 2016, Søbysøgård Prison and the Department of Law at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) have partnered to offer the course “Crime, Punishment, and Crime Preventive Strategies.” The course is inspired by the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which was established in the USA in 1997 and since then has spread to several countries. The teaching is conducted at Søbysøgaard Prison’s closed wing with the participation of 12 law students from SDU (outside students) and 12 incarcerated men at Søbysøgård Prison (inside students). In 2022, a total of 150 students had completed the course. Based on students’ motivation applications, evaluations of the course and teacher’s notes, the experiences with the course are analysed and discussed. Some findings are that the course extends students’ knowledge of criminal justice matters. In addition, the program supports students’ critical thinking and transforms problematic frames of references, which results from transformative learning. Furthermore, the article contributes with reflections and discussions of the course risks and potential.