The importance of rehabilitation and social reintegration Globally, there is growing recognition of the importance of rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes in prisons. The Doha Declaration, adopted in 2015 at the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, highlights the crucial importance of the rehabilitation of prisoners for achieving sustainable development (see The Doha Declaration on page 7).10 As the main purpose of imprisonment, rehabilitation should include a broad range of programmes, including physical and mental healthcare, substance abuse programmes, physical activities, counselling, psychosocial support, education and vocational training courses, creative and cultural activities, work opportunities, and regular access to well-stocked library facilities. Education is a fundamental human right that should be enjoyed by all. Vocational training and work programmes allow prisoners to engage in constructive activities whilst gaining new skills for potential future work. This improves the ability of prisoners to successfully reintegrate into society and lead crime-free lives. Providing them with education, work and training opportunities can also ‘normalise’ their time in prison, making it closer to life in the community and helping prisoners lead independent lives after release. In addition, good rehabilitation programmes can enhance safety and control measures in the prison environment. Prisoners engaged in constructive activities are generally easier to manage and less likely to be disruptive. Providing prisoners with constructive activities has also been found to reduce levels of depression and other mental health conditions, with one study describing prisoners’ motivation to change – through participation in vocational training programmes – as instrumental in improving mental health ‘as they are more focused on goals and resilient to negative external and social impacts on their lives’.11 If operated transparently and fairly, prison rehabilitation programmes – and work programmes in particular – can benefit prisoners by providing incentives that could help them to financially support their families whilst also producing resources for prison systems themselves. This could be in the form of food production for the prison, facility cleaning and maintenance, or the sale of products made by prisoners. Many rehabilitation projects can be set up without significant resources and any profits made can be invested in enhancing rehabilitation programmes or developing new ones. 06 | Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Guide to the rehabilitation and social reintegration of women prisoners