Human Rights and Prisons - Rethinking Crime and Punishment

Ultimately, she argues for the establishment of schools within the prison
system. This system would provide young prisoners with skilled teachers, and
courses would meet general educational minimum standards. She proposes
that the responsibility for that education should be placed on the Ministry of
Education.
Further arguments on the provision of education in New Zealand include:
That educational courses should provide comparable rates of earnings
as work within the prison system (as highlighted by the Ministerial
Committee in 1989). Prisoners who would benefit from academic study
may forego that opportunity in a bid to make a prison wage. The
Department has recently developed a Prisoner Incentive Framework to
incentivise education by basing pay structures on the number of credits
gained regardless of whether the prisoner is participating in a
rehabilitative programme, education or employment.
That progress should continue to be made to strengthen prison libraries
(The Ombudsmen‟s Office, 2005, 2007).
That Corrections might also advance the idea of education as a public
or social good – that can bring an increased sense of personal esteem
and advancement, and not just decreased reoffending (Devine, 2007).
Under this ethos, there would be further provision and support for
higher learning, including tertiary level learning.
5.5 Leisure
Law and policy framework
Corrections policies (PSOM, Section F) provide that „Prisoners are to be given
the opportunity to positively and constructively use their non-sentence plan
time for educational, leisure, sport, recreation, cultural and spiritual activities‟.
Issues
Lippke (2007) establishes the diverse benefits to be gained by prisoner leisure
and entertainment, such as that it:
Enables prisoners to maintain or enhance their bodily condition (or to
slow their bodily deterioration);
Is a vital antidote to cell life, by providing for exercise, movement, or
fresh air;
Provides relief from boredom and stress;
Encourages sensory simulation and restores energy;
Allows prisoners to access other people – to have conversations, build
friendships, foster co-operation and break the isolation of prison life;
Reduces prison disorder, conflict or violence;
Promotes self-development – developing skills and interests, and
nurturing creativity.
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