Sweden: adult education in correctional institutions - facts and context

Participation in education is not a statutory right for inmates. Instead, prisons offer meaningful daily activities, such as work or education. In 2025, about 20% of inmates took part in education equivalent to municipal adult education (Komvux).

Example of vocational training – agricultural education at Rödjan Prison

At Rödjan Prison a new integrated vocational training programme called livestock handler in agriculture was launched in 2024. Developed in consultation with industry representatives, it meets national competence requirements for the profession. An agricultural teacher delivers the instruction, with seven students enrolled in the current school year 2025-2026. The programme lasts for six months and it leads to access work in the agriculture sector.

The training takes place partly at the prison’s learning centre and partly through workplace-based learning in the prison’s two barns, home to around 120 cows and 90 hens to care for. The scope of the workplace-based learning and the tasks carried out by students vary depending on the season.

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service provides training for livestock handlers to address labour shortages in agriculture. ’Students will have opportunities to find employment after release,’ says headteacher Cecilia Nilsson. Students show genuine interest in animals and see a farm-based life as a fresh start away from destructive patterns.

Providing education in a correctional facility involves unique challenges. For example, for security reasons, students cannot independently use IT systems for documentation. Inmates may also transfer to other institutions during their programme. At present, the livestock handler programme is only available at Rödjan Prison, which makes it difficult for transferred students to complete it.

‘Hopefully, more institutions will offer this programme,` says vocational teacher Helen Abrahamsson. ‘That would enable more individuals to access and complete this well-regarded training programme.’

Read more

• Annual Report 2025, Swedish Prison and Probation Service