Challenges and Paradoxes of Digital Rehabilitation in Prison: Lessons Learned From a Pilot Project in Austria

Prisons serve contradictory objectives: While incarceration aims to secure and isolate individuals from society, it also seeks to rehabilitate offenders and prepare them for reintegration. The digitalisation of prisons and the implementation of digital rehabilitation take place within this fundamental tension, which is further exacerbated by systemic challenges such as limited financial resources, overcrowded facilities, and persistent staff shortages. Drawing on a study of digital rehabilitation in Austria, this article combines qualitative interviews with incarcerated people, a survey of prison staff, and the observation of a pilot project introducing digital technologies in prison. The findings reveal significant structural barriers, ranging from institutional culture and staff resistance to limited resources and an absence of strategic commitment, and highlight the paradoxes that arise when digital technologies intended to support rehabilitation are implemented within institutions primarily organised around security and control. Addressing those barriers requires a clear institutional mandate that prioritises social inclusion and treats rehabilitation not as subordinate to security, but as an equally central objective of the prison system.