Overcoming the stigma of prison and the effective of rights and citizenship:

Contributions of Psychology in promoting work for prison egress

Abstract

This paper reports an experience of monitoring graduates from the Espírito Santo prison system and the contributions of Psychology to their insertion in the labor market through the use of a legislative instrument to promote and encourage work. The experience has been developed since 2016 at the Center for Assistance to Egress and their families in the área of Grande Vitória, known as the Social Office, linked to the Secretary of State for Justice of the State of Espírito Santo. State Decree No. 4251-R deals with the absorption of prisoners and prison egress in companies that won public tenders. It is an incentive and encouragement to reduce the enormous difficulty of these people to overcome the stigma of incarceration, as it provides for a reserve of percentage of job vacancies for prisoners and prison egress. However, between the obligation to comply with the Decree and the effective adhesion of the contracted companies there is a huge gap. Stigma and prejudice are almost insurmountable.Just over 31% of the contracts identified in the period are complying with the aforementioned Decree.The contributions of Psychology are reinforced as an instrument of social transformation, aimed at strengthening the subject and contributing to overcoming obstacles after leaving prison, such as graduates who never achieved the title of voter, lack of professional qualification, low education and situations outside the social and territorial context. For the greater adherence of the Public Administration bodies to the Decree, we propose the holding of a seminar for mobilization and involvement of all partners, that is, all the bodies of the Direct Administration and the entities of the Indirect Administration of the State Executive Power that must adhere to the Legislative Decree The decree is just one of several instruments that can contribute to social reintegration through work. Other initiatives still lack partnerships with civil society and public authorities for their implementation. However, the insertion in the formal job market is still, without a doubt, what permeates the ideal of these subjects and contributes to the change of paradigms in society.