■ Where there is no work for prisoners, prison staff must be creative and find other ways of keeping them busy. For example: - The prison administration can obtain paint and other materials and give the prisoners work painting and repairing the buildings of the institution. - Where the prison has land, prisoners can cultivate it to provide food for themselves and others. - Where the prison is near a town, prison staff can make contact with non-governmental organizations there to find ways in which the prisoners could help the organizations' work with disadvantaged people, for example by making furniture for a homeless persons' hostel or toys for a children's home. Prison authorities should be aware of national legislation regarding health and safety at work. This legislation should also apply in prisons. There may be opportunities to involve private commercial and industrial companies in providing work for prisoners. Where this happens, the prison authorities must ensure that prisoners are not used merely as a source of cheap labour or in order to undercut the wages of local workers. In these cases, prisoners should be paid the full rate for the work they do. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION Sometimes people who are in prison have had no experience of employment. They do not think that they should be required to work while they are in prison. How can they be motivated to work? What are the human rights considerations if a private company is allowed to set up a factory in a prison and employs prisoners to work in it? There is a high level of unemployment in the local community. People ask why prisoners can be given work when so many law-abiding people cannot find work. What is the answer? The international instruments indicate that prisoners should not be required to perform forced or compulsory labour, yet they also indicate that sentenced prisoners should be required to work. What limitations should be put on the work which prisoners have to do? What entitlements should prisoners have in respect of the work they do? CASE STUDIES 1. You are given charge of a prison where the prisoners are locked in their cells for 23 hours each day. There is no industrial activity available. There are extensive grounds within the prison perimeter which are uncultivated. There is a small town close by where the social facilities for the community are very poor. The school and the hospital are run down. Your superiors have told you to work out a plan to provide activity which will keep the prisoners busy and which will be of some help to the local community. How would you go about this? 2. You are in charge of a prison where there is a shortage of work for the prisoners. A local businessman comes to you and says he wishes to set up a workshop within the prison. He will provide all necessary machinery. He needs a commitment that all prisoners will work for 40 hours each week. He promises to give you 10 per cent of all profits. How should you respond? What are the factors that you need to consider? 102