Is education a right? (1 Viewer)

[elisabeth]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Education-News/When-class-is-a-prison/2005/04/15/1113509921653.html

If education is a right which should be offered to prisoners, should it be limited to basic computer, literacy and hospitality courses or do criminals have the right to complete higher education?

And if they do, should degrees be offered to all criminals, just non-violent ones or those who will eventually go back to society and might need the skills?

I'm a bit torn on this... on one hand, education should be a basic right for people, but then isn't jail about stripping you of some rights/priviledges? Also, who pays for these degrees? I need to research it, but I know many students here would be pissed if they had to pay heaps for their degrees and a prisoner wouldn't have to pay as much.

 

[paper cup]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Education-News/When-class-is-a-prison/2005/04/15/1113509921653.html

If education is a right which should be offered to prisoners, should it be limited to basic computer, literacy and hospitality courses or do criminals have the right to complete higher education?

And if they do, should degrees be offered to all criminals, just non-violent ones or those who will eventually go back to society and might need the skills?

I'm a bit torn on this... on one hand, education should be a basic right for people, but then isn't jail about stripping you of some rights/priviledges? Also, who pays for these degrees? I need to research it, but I know many students here would be pissed if they had to pay heaps for their degrees and a prisoner wouldn't have to pay as much.

Yes it's in the ICSCER.
depends largely on the crime and any situational factors associated with it, the criminal's own background, etc. etc.
I'd be more in favour of putting emphasis on technical training than uni degrees for prisoners.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

lol uni degree's for prisoners.... shit if that was true, i might just go steal a car.

 

[Abbeygale]

It depends on the crime I suppose. Long murder sentences and so forth I'd say no, but I'd say yes for those serving a couple of years for theft etc.
You have to keep in mind that prison isn't just a punishment, but also an attempt at rehabilitation. Even taking their criminal record into account, a person who leaves prison with a new accreditation has a higher chance of getting employment than if they simply leave with no qualifications. Those more equiped to make a go of their life afterwards are less likely to revert to criminal behaviour again, meaning it works out better for society as a whole.
Does anyone know how much it actually costs to do a degree by correspondence?

 

[mahuligan]

It depends on the crime I suppose. Long murder sentences and so forth I'd say no, but I'd say yes for those serving a couple of years for theft etc.
You have to keep in mind that prison isn't just a punishment, but also an attempt at rehabilitation. Even taking their criminal record into account, a person who leaves prison with a new accreditation has a higher chance of getting employment than if they simply leave with no qualifications. Those more equiped to make a go of their life afterwards are less likely to revert to criminal behaviour again, meaning it works out better for society as a whole.

i totally agree with you... a person imprisoned for a long time would most definately need some type of skill or qualification that could enable them to find a job and get back on track. most prisoners find that when they leave jail alot of the people in their life before prison have gone making it incredibly difficult for them to actually find decent work and support.
i dont think higher education is necessary..they should just be provided with skills or qualifications that can assist them in a particular field of work they wish to enter.

after a person's prison sentence is over do they ever receive counselling or help from a support service? i think this would be especially important for the younger criminals to ensure they get back on track instead of becoming a repeat offender

 

[braindrainedAsh]

It depends on your notion of what purpose imprisonment should perform.

I personally think that stripping people of their rights/dignity leads them to reliance on the system.... I think a system that rehabilitates criminals needs to give them skills to allow them to be successful members of society when they leave.

I think that education is especially important for young offenders, to give them a second chance at getting it right.

Giving someone a skill and making them employable could stop them from turning to crime again in the future. And in the end that is probably cheaper to the government and more beneficial to society than having to imprison the same people over and over again because they turn to crime because they don't know anything else.

However, if people in prison are studying university degrees, I think that they should incur HECS debt like all other tertiary students. If they use the degree to get a job and function in society, pay taxes etc then they can afford to pay back HECS like the rest of us.

Did anyone read the article in SMH a few days ago about how they are going to set up a Gloria Jeans Franchise in a womens prison to train the women?

Giving people skills will mean that they actually have a choice when they get out of prison... will I work, or turn to crime again?

If you send people back out with no other option then what they already knew before they went in, they are hardly going to change their ways.

But also, you can't make prison too cushy otherwise people won't mind going back.

But I think that educating prisoners is important.

 

[Rorix]

No, it is not.


If it were, you wouldn't need to question any restrictions on it.

 

[Slidey]

lol uni degree's for prisoners.... shit if that was true, i might just go steal a car.

A number of scientific and mathematical discoveries have been made when people were placed in prison.