This paper results from a thesis whose title is Beyond the class cells: schooling in the incarcerated context in the light of the representations of prisoners from the prison of Uberlandia - Minas Gerais (MG), developed between 2010 and 2012, in the Education graduate program at the Federal University of Uberlandia. The purpose of this paper is to think about the schooling prescribed and instituted in an incarcerated context, based on a contextualized analysis of representations of prisoners from the prison of Uberlandia (MG). The aim is to contribute with the understanding of the limits and possibilities of school education in the prisons. Utilizing a qualitative and participative method of research, whose core is a bibliographical, documental and field investigation, the paper intends to problematize the official speech and the reality faced by the prisoners. The research subjects were selected at random, based on security criteria set by the prison´s head office. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The results achieved show that the current scenario of schooling in the prisons has several fragilities, not only because it reaches a small number of prisoners in Brazil but mainly because the possibility of having an effective educational action in the prisons is sustained, above all, by the personal commitment of teachers, prison agents and technical staff involved in the task. In addition, in these contexts, a pragmatic view of schooling prevails as it is isolated from the other public sector policies and associated with achieving a job or occupation.
Schooling; Prison; Representations; Prisoners