Theres been a lot of talk about the fact Phillip Smith was able to earn and save money while in prison, which in turn allowed him to flee the country. We need to remember that this escape appears to have been an isolated and extreme case. Its important to resist any knee jerk reactions or policy changes that result in the shutting down of important rehabilitative pathways in our prisons. Many prisoners have poor education and work experience prior to entering prison. Opportunities to access education and job skills can be an important rehabilitative and reintegrative influence, and ultimately help keep our communities safe. But it is important that prisoners receive appropriate remuneration for their work. Not only would no payment make the work a form of slavery, but its important to remember prisoners have to buy basic essentials in prison (for example, phone cards) and need to rebuild their lives when they are released. Its also important to consider the fact that a captive, unpaid work force risks undermining the position of non-incarcerated workers in the same industries. In a nutshell, there are a lot of good reasons to ensure prisoners are paid for their work. One isolated and extreme case that saw a prisoner go on to use this money to escape should be treated as exceptional, and not a reason to change a policy that on the whole does a lot of good.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 00:44:09 +0000
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