The Relationship Between Basic Education and Offenses Committed by People Deprived of Liberty in Prisons

People Deprived of Liberty (PDL) face major obstacles in accessing fundamental rights, such as education. Various regulations, international treaties, and laws require the State to provide educational assistance to incarcerated individuals. Due to the scarcity of studies in Brazil, especially in Santa Catarina, on the impact of Basic Education in reducing prison infractions, this study examined the relationship between PDL participation in Basic Education and the occurrence of disciplinary infractions. This is an applied study with a quantitative, descriptive, observational, case-control, and associative methodological design that used data from the Information, Data and Statistics System (i-PEN). The sample included PDL who attended or did not attend Basic Education, comparing disciplinary records. The analysis revealed a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) between education and reduced infractions. Participants involved in Basic Education were 1.71 times more likely not to commit infractions. The findings highlight the importance of public policies that expand access to education in the Santa Catarina prison system.