The Daytime Field Work Program Is Not Designed to Reduce Prison Overcrowding 2016/9/7

• Publication Date ： 2016-09-07
• Last updated：2019-03-20
• View count：1509

The inmate daytime field work program was first introduced in Wisconsin, USA in 1913, and adopted afterwards by Sweden, Britain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Holland and other European countries. Replacing institutional treatment with community treatment has become a trend worldwide, and is recognized and affirmed by many criminologists.

As inmates eventually have to return to society after serving their sentence, the Agency plans to implement a daytime field work program which allows inmates who are suitable for field work to leave the correctional facility during the day and return at night. The purpose is not to prevent prison overcrowding, but to help inmates improve their employment capabilities and reduce recidivism. As inmates have a daily routine in prison and live in seclusion from society, it is difficult for them to adapt to today's rapidly changing environment and acquire competencies required to compete in various industries. Gaining employment as semi-free workers under a highly supportive system could effectively assist prisoners in their reentry to society after their release, enable them to adapt better to their social environments and reduce the possibility of recidivism. This is indeed an important social safety net.

If the field work program is implemented in the future, correctional authorities will select suitable inmates and propose relevant measures in order to effectively rehabilitate prisoners and maintain social order.