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This paper discusses how the construction of citizenship and citizen identities takes place among young students in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Considering that education is responsible for fostering the sense of citizenship, this research asked 209 students from a public high school to write letters to a future Brazilian president and to answer an online survey on politics, democracy, and citizenship. Using the Thematic Analysis method, this paper investigates the content of these letters and the answers regarding presidential activities. The responses to both exercises express generic notions and unsuitable speeches regarding politics as well as a feeling of disbelief. It is argued that school education does not develop citizens who can perform their civic roles in society and that such detachment of the students may be a consequence of their incredulity toward politics, resulting in a narrow understanding of the matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at carrying out a systematic review based on international database of published articles between 2003 and 2014. The results proved the coexistence of studies which linked conservative ideals associated to motherhood, to those which questioned the difference between the ideological view of motherhood and the various losses and problems which make up the real life of women deprived of freedom. According to the reviewed studies, it seems evident to us that motherhood in the context of imprisonment takes a new and distinct shape from that lived out of prison. Although motherhood is important, we question the exclusive focus on this aspect of female identity when talking about the possibilities of incarcerated women's rehabilitation. By focusing solely on motherhood, prison institutions reinforce gender stereotypes of the broader society, understanding women only as mothers. In this sense, we draw attention to the importance for rehabilitation efforts to consider other spheres in these women's lives, such as work and education, in order to promote the emancipation and autonomy of women post-incarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]