Narratives of Hope in Hopelessness: Reasons for Pursuing ODL-Mediated Higher Education among Females Serving Life Sentences in South African Correctional Centres

In South Africa, correctional education research overwhelmingly focuses on male students lived experiences. Consequently, any nuanced efforts aimed at reformation, especially of incarcerated female students sentenced to life imprisonment, remain undervalued and insufficiently understood by policymakers, correctional bureaucracy, and the general public. This qualitative multiple case study situated within the social constructivist paradigm, was conducted in two correctional centres in two provinces of South Africa. It aimed to gain insight into the experiences of incarcerated female students who are serving life sentences and studying through open distance learning (ODL). Eight incarcerated female students participated in the study via focus group interviews. Grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights framework, the thematically curated findings encapsulate the hegemony in the prison education system, and the complex relationship between incarceration and education. The findings revealed that the participants regard ODL-mediated higher education as a rare and much-needed “second chance-at-life opportunity” to reconstruct lost childhood dreams and find meaning through academic pursuits, which also serves as a coping mechanism that restores hope and opportunity for their reformation in times of distress imposed by the prison environment. Barriers included the unbecoming behaviour of officials and restricted access to learning facilities, particularly libraries and learning centres. The findings outlined an urgent need for a review of student support policy in the studied correctional centres. Having a sound student support policy is poised to ensure that student support programmes are based on procedural fairness and the implementation of carceral education is insulated from discriminatory practices.