“Organized activities in detention reduce the risk of recidivism”
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Tshe the frog of the fable, the controversy swells endlessly. May she meet the same fate as the animal. The management of the penitentiary center of Fresnes [Val-de-Marne] organized (with the help of a private partnership) a competition between detainees, young people from Fres and prison staff, during which a general knowledge questionnaire, tug of war over a pool and karting.
In the din of indignant reactions to this non-event – reactions that conceal the real ills of many French penitentiary establishments (overcrowding, unworthy detention conditions) – the question of the activities carried out in the penitentiary environment and their objective seems to be quickly evaded. If the Minister of Justice [Eric Dupond-Moretti]in his tweet, opened the door to this surge of deaf arguments, he incidentally raises the question which should be central: that of the way in which the time of detention is occupied, this “unthought” pain (Corinne Rostaing, Yasmine Bouagga).
However, there are systems that consider this time of trouble and try to do something about it. The Scandinavian countries, often cited as an example, offer various activity programs in their establishments (cooking workshops, DIY, yoga, meditation, team sports, agricultural activities or gardening) to meet the activity obligation imposed by the law. Thus, in Sweden, each prisoner spends between four and five hours in activity per day (where the law provides for a minimum of six hours).
Some of our neighbors have also developed penitentiary policies aimed at ensuring occupation for the greatest number of detainees and individualized follow-up: in Spain, the applicable texts provide that “prison treatment” (monitoring of the detainee throughout the execution of the sentence) is understood in the broad sense, including “not only therapeutic assistance, training, employment and educational activities, but also socio-cultural, recreational and sporting activities”. Thus, the standard day of a Spanish prisoner should include six hours of daily voluntary activities. If the stated objectives are not always achieved, reflection on the occupation of sentence time has the merit of existing.
“Rebuilding the link”
The penalty is a sanction imposed by the judicial authority in response to the commission of a criminal offence. Its objectives are set by law: it obviously aims to punish (this is the so-called “retributive” aspect of the penalty), which our politicians never forget. But it also aims to prevent recidivism, in particular through reintegration. This means that the person sentenced to a custodial sentence must be able to prepare for his return to society by setting up activities.
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