I did a placement in a few prisons last year with my university course, and in a couple this is actually the case. Well, sort of - they’re not required classes but there’s a huge uptake on them. One prison I was in had classes in painting and decorating (with a workshop with little rooms in that they would practice all of the techniques on), animal care and also cooking. The cooking was great - they actually ran the staff canteen with inmates as all the cooks and things, the food was great and reasonably priced. It also meant that the inmates were earning some money - from memory, I think most of their earnings went into an account that they’d be able to access when they were released, with some being available to order things whilst they were in prison such as toiletries etc.

My favourite thing about this was seeing the affect that it had on a lot of these men. Being able to achieve things and earn a bit of money was vital in their rehabilitation. It gave them a routine and a goal whilst they were in prison. They would leave with a new skill set and a bit of self confidence.