What does good social work in prison look like? Can it prevent further crime? These are the questions that drive Riolia Mascarenhas. The 29-year-old is traveling halfway around the world and is currently at Fachhochschule Dortmund. With a scholarship from the Federal Chancellor.
Riolia Mascarenhas comes from Mumbai. The metropolis of millions is the financial center of India, the most populous country in the world. She completed a Bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology there and obtained a Master's degree with a focus on "Social Work in Criminology and Justice". It was during this time that she first encountered people in prison. "I was shocked to see who ended up in prison in our country and the influence of the Indian caste system and the colonial past," she recalls.
The prisons are overcrowded and the system is overloaded. A large proportion of the detainees are in custody awaiting trial. "They often just lack documents or are unable to post bail," reports Riolia Mascarenhas. In prison, however, they encounter organized crime and this is often the beginning of a career as a criminal. Social work can start here and thus relieve the system in the long term. The 29-year-old is convinced of this.
For six years, she was part of a project that brought social workers together with public defenders. She has worked to ensure that prisoners have access to free legal advice, mediated between lawyers and inmates, made contact with families and helped inmates find help for their addiction problems. "In Germany," says Riolia Mascarenhas, "there are social workers in every prison. They are part of the system." This fascinated the researcher.
Prison, human rights and social work
In Prof. Dr. Christine Graebsch at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies at Fachhochschule Dortmund, she found an expert who has been working on the penal system for many years. She recruited the lawyer as a mentor for her Federal Chancellor Fellowship. The Humboldt Foundation supports committed university graduates from Brazil, India, China, South Africa and the USA with a project in Germany.
Riolia Mascarenhas has been at Fachhochschule Dortmund since October 2024 and visits prisons to talk to inmates, prison staff, social workers and other professionals who come into contact with prisoners, such as psychologists and pastoral workers. She is supported by students on Prof. Graebsch's "Prison, Human Rights and Social Work" course. "They help me with the conversations, because Germans often speak very quickly," says Riolia Mascarenhas. In the course, she also reported on her experiences in prisons in India, giving the students further perspectives.
One of the highlights of the seminar was the Winter School, which was attended by experts from the University of Westminster (UK), among others, who spoke about their experiences in the field of convict criminology. This involves people who have been imprisoned themselves and, after studying there, work in research and teaching, train future criminologists and work in the field of offender support. This is an exciting approach for both the UAS students and the young researcher from India.
Riolia Mascarenhas will continue her research in Germany until September of this year. "There is still a long way to go before we see social work as an integral part of prisons in India," she says. She wants to contribute the experience she gains in German prisons to this process.