Justícia i Pau
Justícia i Pau established a prison commission in 1987 to focus specifically on the reality of Catalan prisons.
Most incarcerated individuals belong to groups affected by poverty, chronic unemployment, family breakdown, school failure, lack of professional qualifications, alcoholism, drug dependency, mental health issues, or lack of residence and work permits. At the same time, imprisonment often leads to greater social exclusion and a decline in physical and mental health.
Therefore, society as a whole has an ethical duty to work toward reducing the negative impact of imprisonment and guiding sentences toward rehabilitation and social reintegration.
Prison Volunteering
Prison volunteering involves a committed role of support and mentorship. Volunteers accompany incarcerated individuals who lack support networks (family, friends, or social ties) to listen to them and lend a helping hand, both before and after their release. We are looking for mature individuals with strong listening skills who can commit to a minimum of one year of volunteering, ensuring a strong bond with the individual and assisting in their full social restoration and reintegration.
Prior Training: volunteers must complete a 20-hour course offered by the Department of Justice of the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) and participate in internal training sessions organized by the entity. These hours count toward volunteering dedication for elective credit recognition (undergraduate students).
Time Commitment: three hours per week (travel time to the correctional facility must be taken into account).
Start Date: an information session is held every year in October or November for interested candidates. Following this meeting, internal administrative and accreditation procedures begin with the Department of Justice of the Generalitat de Catalunya. These procedures may take a couple of months.
Geographic Scope: Catalonia.
You can contribute to the following programs:
Personal Companionship inside Correctional Facilities Program: supporting incarcerated individuals in correctional facilities, usually once a week. The goal is to provide a listening ear, emotional support, and companionship to foster social reintegration.
Socio-educational and Socio-cultural Activities Program: organizing, participating in, or supporting socio-educational and socio-cultural activities such as yoga, theater, dance, reading, or art therapy, among others.
Teaching Collaboration Program: assisting through educational support—either in group classes or one-on-one sessions—for inmates pursuing various courses or seeking to learn or improve their language skills.
"Post-release Support" Program: accompanying incarcerated individuals through their reintegration process by building a relationship of trust based on active listening. The goal is to boost self-esteem, motivation, and personal development, both prior to and following their release. It also offers guidance and emotional support during the initial stages of reintegration. Volunteers for this program must be over 25 years old.
Contact for Applications: send an email to administracio@justiciaipau.org with the subject line "Voluntariat UOC".
Application Deadline: Between September and November, prior to the final information session.
Queries?
please contact the Help Service or voluntariat@uoc.edu.
Recognition of volunteer activities
If you are enrolled on a bachelor's degree, you can apply for credit recognition for your volunteer time as long as you have participated with one of our partner organizations.
For more information visit Procedures / Previous studies eligible for validation / University activities (RECAAU).