This paper presents an approach to education in Colombian prisons based on research conducted with principles of Critical Pedagogy. The stories of two female former political prisoners were used as instruments for the collection of information. The voices of these women show the contradictions and failures of education in prisons. The paper contains a look at the Action Plan and Opportunities System (Plan de Acción y Sistema de Oportunidades, PASO) of Colombia's National Prison Authority (Instituto Nacional Penitenciario y Carcelario, INPEC), alternative education proposals are analyzed and conclusions are put forward.