Prison Entrepreneurship Education - Systematic Literature Review

Authors

  • Paula Anjos University of Évora. Collaborating member of the Centre for Advanced Studies and Training in Management at the University of Évora (CEFAGE|UE)) https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8525-8646
  • Rui Quaresma University of Évora. Member of the Centre for Advanced Studies and Training in Management at the University of Évora (CEFAGE|UE)) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1970-9277
  • Conceição Leal da Costa University of Évora and integrated member of the Centre for Education in Education and Psychology of the University of Évora (CIEP|UE) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3299-6845

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/ecie.20.1.3673

Keywords:

Education; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship program; Lifelong learning; Prison; Prisoners

Abstract

This article presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on prison entrepreneurship education, aiming to explore existing knowledge about prison education systems that promote entrepreneurial skills recognized by prisoners. Criminal recidivism is a complex, worldwide social problem for which there seems to be no optimal solution, only preventive measures. Its prevention promotes a social benefit for society as a whole. Lack of employment continues to be a factor in the social reintegration of prisoners, increasing the likelihood of recidivism. The few studies that portray the effect of programs involving entrepreneurship and education in prisons indicate that they are successful in being accepted by the prison population based on their proposed educational opportunities. However, this analysis is not conclusive when it comes to the recognition of opportunities by prisoners, and there is a need for more studies to be carried out to gauge an informed response and support the development of new policies to help meet this social need for successful social reintegration. However, in many countries, the educational offer of entrepreneurship programs does not cover all prisoners. This SLR includes results on entrepreneurship education in prisons regarding the recognition of entrepreneurial skills. It also partially explains the effects of entrepreneurship education in the prison system. The results of this SLR highlight the need for more comprehensive public policies and more effective entrepreneurial educational practices. It is necessary to ensure that all citizens deprived of their liberty have access to entrepreneurship education and that these initiatives align with the employment opportunities available in the labor market. Considering the existing limitations in research in this area, namely the small number of academic studies involving prisoners, combined with the difficulty for researchers to “enter” prison systems, we believe that this study is significant, given that the associated issues of criminal recidivism versus social reintegration affect society as a whole.

Author Biographies

Paula Anjos, University of Évora. Collaborating member of the Centre for Advanced Studies and Training in Management at the University of Évora (CEFAGE|UE))

Paula Anjos is a PhD candidate in Management at the University of Évora, financial manager of co-financed projects at the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services, professor at the European University and the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Administration. Her main area of research is entrepreneurship education in the prison system.

Rui Quaresma, University of Évora. Member of the Centre for Advanced Studies and Training in Management at the University of Évora (CEFAGE|UE))

Rui Filipe Cerqueira Quaresma is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Évora, specializing in information systems and entrepreneurship. He holds a PhD, has published extensively, led research projects, supervised theses, served as editor and committee member, and actively contributes to national and international academic communities.

Conceição Leal da Costa, University of Évora and integrated member of the Centre for Education in Education and Psychology of the University of Évora (CIEP|UE)

Conceição Leal da Costa is a Professor at the University of Évora and an integrated member of CIEP, specializing in teacher education, professional development, biographical research and participatory approaches. She participates in international research networks and has published international publications in education extensively,  led research projects, supervised theses and serves on editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals. 

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Published

2025-09-19

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2025): The Proceedings of the 20th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Section

PhD Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Paula Anjos, Rui Quaresma, Conceição Leal da Costa

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.