Prison Education

A prison system which is first and foremost a place of punishment cannot be relied on to eliminate criminal behaviour. Only punishment without education could not teach the prisoners that their behaviours are criminal and harmful to the society; however, an appropriate education strategy could. Consequently, the recidivism can be reduced. For example, several criminals commit a crime because of a lack of law knowledge. If these prisoners could be educated what a crime is, they would not commit it again. In addition, the convicts have already been punished by freedom deprivation; therefore, it is unfair to give them extra punishment in the jail. An extra punishment is usually decided by a prison officer who actually does not have right to do so. This could lead to justice distrust and hopeless emotions of prisoners which could cause recidivism. Although some individuals believe that the criminals can be daunted effectively by punishment scare, this may cause violence problems and recidivism.

In contrast, the fostering of essential life skills may be the most effective means by which the prison system can work to reduce criminal tendencies. If life or working skills could be taught to prisoners, these people would be able to do some easy work in the prisons. Additionally these convicts would have employment opportunities after they were released; therefore, these ex-prisoners may have positive lives and capability to contribute to the society. A positive life may let the ex-convict know how important the freedom is. Consequently, these rehabilitated persons might not do any criminal behaviour. Correspondingly, the criminal tendencies would be decreased.

In conclusion, it can be argued that education and rehabilitation, rather than punishment, should be seen as the primary role of the prison system. Proponents of education and rehabilitation argue that the criminals could be educated what a criminal behaviour is and avoid committing it. Furthermore, life skills