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Defined Term
Thinking Outside the Cell
Intangible Benefits
Prisons re-becoming institutions to
Rehabilitate,
Educate and Vocationally Train
For Employment.
Below is an extract from
Time for prison reform across Australian states
-
ABC - The World Today - 26 Feb 2007 where a former inmate,
ROBERT BARCO,
now a youth program coordinator, explains that before Prisons
became overcrowded, there were programmes to 'Educate' and 'Train For Employment'.
EMILY BOURKE: Robert Barco, if I can ask you, the culture within prisons, do you
see that as a driving force for re-offending? What are the problems there?
ROBERT BARCO: There is very much sort of
"them and us" and breaking away from that is not an easy thing. But I think
when industries came back in which are more sort of driven at profit now, as
opposed to providing actual work skills, then a working culture sort of is
developed as well.
I remember back in the earlier days in the early and mid-'80s, there
were workshops that had trade skills attached to them, you had a culture of
becoming a tradesmen-type person where some prisoners would wear the bib and
brace khaki overalls, as opposed to green and floppy tracksuits.
So if you are thinking along the lines of prison and prisoner very much so
that is what your behaviours will be, say as opposed to thinking along the
lines of having goals like commitment, responsibility and the possibility of
employment and life readiness.
It took me many, many years of slowly changing my thinking, learning
different work skills and getting different educational qualification all
wrapped into sort of one thing to be able to make the changes that I have
made, but I think that is possible with anyone. But alas,
the prison culture is sort of the plop along, just do your time and
survive, without too much thought as to, you know, what is going to happen
after that.
See:
Tangible Benefits, Tangible
Costs,
Intangible Costs,
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