Thread: I was just looking at an interesting debate What do you think about Prisoners enrolling?

for University Courses while in Prison. I know the tax payer pays enough at the same time They have to have something to do if it is going to make them a better citizen when they finally get out. I dont know if any research has been done but this is a difficult one as part of there so called rehabilitation they must learn how to live a better life but is this unfair on low income families who would like to do something like this what do you think

Hello all. I am a felon myself. I believe the college courses should not be offered to just any convict. They should really not be offered at all. Think about it. If you are a felon you cant get hired anywhere except maybe McDonalds. So why waste taxpayers money. If they are in prison,they dont matter in the eyes of the government anymore. We are no longer able to posess a firearm,cant defend our family or property,cant go to war,cant vote,cant get houses,cant get hired,so what will a degree do? Not a darn thing. Believe me I know from my own life.This is why they say once in the system always in the system.

yeah give them free houses,holidays and cars too! is everybody mad????? why are they locked up in the first place? would it make you sleep better at night knowing these morons will be better educated when they break into your house or steal your car? get real

I would encourage any prisoner who wants to learn and improve his prospects of earning a living by lawful means on release. I believe that a lot of the tuition offered prisoners has had to be cut down on, but it is a sad thought that any prisoner who entered gaol unable to read and write (and that is the case with very many of them) should still be illiterate upon leaving. Against the apparent unfairness you must balance the fact that many ex-offenders find it very difficult to get work at all on leaving prison.

I'll go along with what you say up to a point, I don't necessarily think that prison should mean stagnation. Education is one way of dealing with a person who cannot accept the laws of our society.

Hard Labour used to be a way of educating prisoners that they would have to pay for their own keep rather than the tax payer. I'm not saying go back 200 years to the over harsh treatment the prisoners used to get but there are many worth while community projects that could be carried out by prisoners who have not committed violent sexual or terrorist
associated crimes.

How many skilled builders are in prison for example.

The projects I foresee are the building of sea defences to stop our shore line eroding; The digging of canals to help homes built on flood planes etc.

The only problem as I see it is that these prisoners would have to actually work or not get out of prison until they have also payed compensation to their victims. Prison must no longer be a soft option.

ATB Red Wilkins

I think we do way too much for prison inmates. My husband and I were talking about this. We as law abiding citizens do not have half of the freedoms and luxuries as prison inmates do. Goodness sakes, meals prepared for them everyday, cable television, access to university programs, free time, game time, devotional opportunities, recreation - all with no expectation that a person will take responsibility for anything and no promise that they will really be changed for the better by all of this. Goodness - I might try to stay IN prison - I could then afford my Master's degree and have plenty of time to study too eh??? It's a way better life than military duty!

Some people are just bad. They will reoffend again and again, and spend their lives in and out of jail.

And some people have no prospect of employment and little option but to go back to crime when released.

While it seems a basic unfairness to allow prisoners to enrol for such courses, we have to be pragmatic. If we expect prisons to have any rehabilitative effect on its inmates, we have to bite the bullet and give them access to the education which might allow them to escape a life of crime.

It's probably a lot cheaper to educate someone that to keep paying for their ignorance.

Most prisoners have less than a grade 6 education, and are illiterate. Now we are going to send them to college????

Come on!!!

That's a good idea....They could all study law, then they could defend themselves in court every time they commit a crime and save the tax payer a small fortune..... "One problem solved then"

hmm....put those bad people to work and have them fight in war instead and make them help make a change...SCARY part...do u trust them with guns and all the other weapons used in fighting?? They are put in jail because they aren't safe on the street and tax payers want to keep their kids and family safe by removing bad people off streets and into jail