Book ReviwsThe Emperor is Naked: Repression verses Rehabilitation – Martina Justová.
Reviewed by Anne Costelloe (Deputy Chairperson, EPEA).
Ms. Martina Justová has written a book wordy of note. In essence, it is a declaration of her thoughts and views, which are very much grounded in her experience of working in the Slovakian prison system. While it is laden with her personal reflections and opinions, they serve never the less to draw the reader’s attention to one of the intrinsic values of the book. It provides a conduit, not only for Ms. Justová’s voice to be heard from within the confines of a repressive prison system, but just as importantly, the voices of the prisoners. Even in the most liberal and progressive prison system, the opinion of the prisoner is rarely heard, mainly because it is seldom sought, often because it is not valued. Ms Justová on the other hand has provided an extremely effective forum from which the viewpoints of the prisoner can be heard (and it should be noted that these prisoners’ are extremely erudite and reflective). What is particularly interesting for the prison educator is the confirmation that despite coming from a different country, a different prison system and a different political system, these prisoners articulate the same response to the empowering and enabling effects of prison education as those imprisoned systematically in other countries. The language may change but the sincerity and sanguinity of the response remains the same.
A less welcome communality highlighted in the book, is the disheartening trend of “getting tough on crime” that has become increasingly evident in so many of our countries. It would seem that Slovakia is no exception with its recent establishment of the infamous “three strikes and you’re out” law. This short-sightedness can be seen to go hand in hand with that other feature so common to many prison systems, namely the lack of ‘through-care’ for the prison population. Again, Ms Justová highlights how the service lacks continuity and synergy in its pre and post-release efforts and stresses the ineffectualness of social work that lacks such continuity. She states that “post-prison care cannot be created independently and without prison care it is not possible at all.”
The author goes onto highlight practical and positive project programmes that have proved useful and successful. In the chapter entitled, “Social strategies in work with prisoners”, she provides concrete examples of positive educational projects with which she has been associated. Indeed, she concludes that chapter with a list of basic recommendations that trigger strong resonance for any European prison educator. Included also in this chapter are statistics that should prove useful to the prison education researcher. For example, “the total number of prisoners who have completed secondary school is only 7.5%, i.e. 453 of the total number of prisoners in Slovakia (5,983)….the figures for the number of convicted individuals who have completed university education are even more stark – 0.64%, i.e. only 38 from total prison population of 5,983.” Without doubt, the book contains useful information and insights.
Throughout, Ms. Justová draws attention to the importance of the holistic and personal development element of prison education, claiming that for many prisoners, “the two most important needs are the need for positive acceptance from other people and the need for self-acceptance”. The book provides a timely reminder that personal development must be the primary aim, process and result of prison education. Without this, Ms Justová suggests, “instead of scoialization we are successfully carrying out antisocialization”. While there is nothing intrinsically new in this suggestion, it is propitious to see such views articulated by those ‘working on the ground’ in a system considered by many to be overtly controlling, insular and slow to change. The necessity for such critiques cannot be underestimated. Indeed they are essential because the certainties surrounding particular canons of knowledge and practices reinforce repression and marginalisation, and any attempts to identify and examine these certainties can work to lessen their impact. The author must be congratulated and admired for her attempts to do so.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 April 2007 )
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