Italian mathematics prison teachers’ perspective on the teaching/learning of mathematics in prison school

Teaching in the prison context is characterized by a high complexity level; it is a multifaced activity influenced by several factors depending on the specific context. We present a preliminary but overall picture of schooling in Italian prisons by considering teachers’ reflections regarding their experiences in teaching mathematics in correctional facilities. To address the gap in the current literature on this issue, we conducted a SWOT analysis on the reflection provided by a group of nine Italian mathematics teachers who teach in different prisons and with different experiences and backgrounds. Their reflection allowed us to identify and describe six theory-driven categories and five data-driven categories to characterize the teaching of mathematics within Italian prisons. Some of these characterizations are considered both as positive and negative aspects by the teachers, while other categories are more polarized and then constitute specific threats or opportunities in the prison context.