Prisons and Paid Work

Good day everyone. We all are aware of the purpose of prisons and how the condition or working of a prison affects the prisoner. The idea of thinking prison as a place for improvement rather than a place for punishment originated form the global human right movement in the early 20th century.

One way by which prisons help prisoners reintegrate in the society after being released is by training them in different skills so that they can be employed in future.

In many countries, prisoners are paid for the work they do. Paid work is considered as the most important part of jail reform and rehabilitation. These wages not only ensure their good behaviour and emotional well-being but also improve the dignity of prisoner’s labour.

These wages vary from place to place. For example, in India, a convict in a jail in our capital, Delhi, makes ₹ 308 ($ 3.70) a day for skilled work while his counterpart might earn about ₹ 100 ($ 1.20) for the same work in another state.

Though there is a huge difference in the prison wages for same work in different areas, it is a good initiative as it brings a sense of responsibility in the prisoners and helps them become a good citizen. I suggest that these steps be encouraged because prisoners are not sent to prisons for punishment, because it will only add up to their negative emotions, but to correct their mistakes and reflect upon themselves, so that they don’t commit the same mistake next time.

Thank you.