Moral Sight and Ethical Praxis in the Prison Classroom

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dc.cclicenceCC BYen
dc.contributor.authorLittle, Ross
dc.date.acceptance2023-08-09
dc.date.accessioned2023-09-11T08:10:48Z
dc.date.available2023-09-11T08:10:48Z
dc.date.issued2023-09-09
dc.descriptionopen access articleen
dc.description.abstractThe deployment of moral sight (a sensitivity towards the humanity of all people) and ethical praxis (taking account of important matters for learners) enhanced learners’ sense of dignity in a prison classroom comprising university students and men serving long prison sentences. This in turn enhanced the trustworthiness of the space, helped learners benefit from interaction and prevented moral blindness amongst prison educators. Three domains of ethical praxis for enhancing moral sight amongst educators are discussed: person-centred praxis; situational praxis, and; pedagogical praxis. The article grounds the discussion using empirical data from participant reflections to uncover what mattered to them in creating a trustworthy learning space. Recognising the human dignity of learners, and engaging in practices that enhance this dignity and protect associated rights, was important for both groups of students. Deploying ethical praxis enabled participants to feel ‘seen’ in the classroom, in turn enhancing their sense of belonging and comfort in the space. For the prison-based students, having their contributions heard, recognised and valued was a rare experience in the context of serving a life sentence. For university students, the space provided a new and refreshing pedagogical experience, away from the institutionalised logics and constraints of the contemporary university. Relatedly, teacher-facilitators involved reported this to be their most enjoyable higher education teaching experience. There are wider implications for how higher education institutions ‘see’ the people they work with. The article argues for prioritising the human activity of learning over the institutionalisation of education processes, to create more trustworthy learning spaces.en
dc.funderNo external funderen
dc.funder.otherThe project was joint funded by De Montfort University and HMP Lifer, part of HM Prison and Probation Service.en
dc.identifier.citationLittle, R. (2023) Moral sight and ethical praxis in the prison classroom. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 0 (0)en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1177/17488958231197817
dc.identifier.issn1748-8966
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2086/23199
dc.language.isoenen
dc.peerreviewedYesen
dc.publisherSageen
dc.researchinstituteInstitute for Research in Criminology, Community, Education and Social Justiceen
dc.subjectprison educationen
dc.subjecthigher educationen
dc.subjectmoral sighten
dc.subjectethical praxisen
dc.subjectpedagogyen
dc.subjecttrustworthinessen
dc.titleMoral Sight and Ethical Praxis in the Prison Classroomen
dc.typeArticleen

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