Try and Rehabilitate Prisoners with Philosophy and see what happens!

Prisoners have become rehabilitated via ordinary forms of therapy and alternate forms of therapy -  drama therapy, music therapy and  art therapy.  Prisoners do yoga and studies have shown that prisoners who partake in these alternate therapies come out far less violent than when they went in.  They also are much calmer within the prison system and it is clear how important it is to rehabilitate prisoners rather than dehumanise them.

Now, there’s also philosophy for prisoners.  In a prison in Nottingham, England, prisoners are signing up for philosophy classes and the results are astonishing.  They are showing that a little bit of learning helps the prisoner to shed his macho prison image.  By studying philosophy, prisoners are learning to talk about the world, morality and identity, and to try and make sense of things.  Rather than using their fists, they’re using their brains and their brains are loving it.

Education has failed many people, and many people land up in prison because of their lack of education.  They haven't been taught right from wrong, and they haven't been taught to think for themselves.   The idea behind teaching philosophy at the Nottingham Prison is about ‘empowering prisoners’ rather than taking their power away.  It’s about giving them respect and teaching them to respect themselves, thereby respecting others.  It’s bout shedding a mask of violence and wearing a mask of honesty.

Some people think that prisoners don’t deserve benefits in prison.  But, unless a terrible crime has been committed, we want people coming out of prison who are less violent than when they went in.  We want people coming out of prison with an education so they have a chance of bettering themselves.  Philosophy can give this to a prisoner.  It teaches them to think, discuss and debate.  

We hope that it spreads from prison to prison.