C HAPTER 21. P REPARATION FOR RELEASE OBJECTIVE The objective of this chapter is to stress that prisoners should be prepared for reintegration into society and provided with adequate social support when they are released. ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES From the beginning of a prisoner’s sentence, consideration shall be given to his or her future after release and prisoners shall be assisted in ensuring their future reintegration into society. All agencies and services responsible for the reintegration of prisoners into society shall ensure that all prisoners have the means and available resources to maintain themselves in the period immediately following their release. These principles should be presented visually and remain on display throughout the session. BASIS IN INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS Exercise: Using the Compilation of Instruments, the trainees should work in pairs in order to discover the basis for each of these principles. The information should be reported back to the group and be reinforced from your own text. IMPLICATIONS It must be stressed that the time spent in prison is not a vacuum. All prisoners are affected by the experience and therefore need to prepare for the life they must return to in the community. PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS These should be presented one at a time, allowing time for questions and comment after each one. Two important points are being made: prison staff need training in order to provide the pre-release programme necessary; it is not an easy task for the staff to take on. Also, support must be sought from the community. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION A list of topics is provided in the Manual. Methodology: The trainees should be divided into small groups for discussion. Each group should spend a few minutes considering each topic. 108