Education and Rehabilitation of Offenders Act

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Education and Rehabilitation of Offenders Act is a Liberalian Law.

The Bill

Preamble

This is a bill to re-educate and rehabilitate offenders so that they are useful members of society on their release from prison. This bill will not seek to mandate any sentencing for any crime.

Article I Extent

Clause 1: This act shall apply to everybody who is subject to a custodial sentence in which their liberty is removed by the nation through committing an act of crime as per regional and national laws that should exist.

Clause 2: All prisoners will do an educational course as outlined in the bill along with work to earn money for privileges as deemed suitable.

Clause 3: Closed and Open prisons shall be subject to this act.

Article II Assessment

Clause 1: All prisons will assess a new prisoner to gauge their level of education whether it is a academic or vocational course

Clause 2: All prisons who have carried out an assessment will agree a programme of learning with the prisoner

Clause 3: A programme of learning will be both academic and vocational.

Section a: Academic work shall be any course covered under any Educational Bill the Liberalian Parliament shall see fit to implement, apart from situations covered in Article III Clause 1, all courses are voluntary.

Section b: Vocational work shall be any course that will enable a prisoner to learn and subsequently, on release, to carry out a trade.

Section c: Any prisoners who refuses to agree a programme of learning will have their sentences extended by one week per day of refusal to agree the programme of learning.

Clause 3: All programmes will consist of a minimum of one academic course plus one vocational course or two academic courses.

Article III Courses

Clause 1: All prisoners must achieve the equivalent of Primary School Leaving Paper in English and mathematics by the time of their release.

Section a: If a prisoner is in prison for a custodial sentence lasting not more than 18 months, then Article III Clause 1 may not apply.

Section b: If Article III Clause 1 Section a applies, a prisoner may not remove themselves from English and Mathematic classes except where Article III Clause 1 Section c applies.

Section c: If a prisoner has already achieved the equivalent of Primary School Leaving Paper in English and mathematics, then they may remove themselves from such classes.

Clause 2: All levels of education will be made available up to and including University courses.

Clause 3: All prisons will be encouraged to foster links with local educational institutions.

Section a: Such links shall be maintained for the benefit of prisoners to take advantage of education opportunities and for students at said educational institutions to realize the dangers of a life of crime.

Section b: Convicted paedophiles will be banned from taking advantage of such opportunities outlined in Article III Clause 3 and all sections therewithin.

Article IV Academic Courses

Clause 1: All prisoners will take at least one academic course.

Section a: Such a course as per the provisions already outlined in the bill shall be of a course in which an examination occurs at any level of education above the Primary School Leaving Paper.

Clause 2: All prisons will allow sufficient time throughout the week to take part in classes and exams.

Section a: Sufficient time shall be 2 hours per week per course.

Article V Vocational Courses

Clause 1: All vocational courses are optional.

Clause 2: Vocational courses shall be assessed to a level equivalent to Vocational Training colleges as per the Education Act.

Clause 3: All prisons will allow sufficient time throughout the week to take part in classes and exams

Section a: Sufficient time shall be 10 hours per week per course.

Clause 4: Sex offenders and fraudsters shall not be placed on a course in which they may come into contact with vulnerable people when they are at work.

Section a: This applies to and is not limited to children, disabled people, women and old people.

Article VI Therapy

Clause 1: In addition to courses and work, prisoners are encouraged to attend therapy sessions to resolve issues in their lives.

Section a: Both individual and group therapy sessions will be offered free of charge.

Section b: Only professionally licensed Psychologists or Social Workers will conduct therapy sessions and/or analyse a prisoner’s emotional progress.

Section c: Therapy sessions are offered with certain behavioral expectations.

Clause 2: Prisoners who misbehave will be removed from the session immediately, and may face further punishment, not to include the suspension of therapy sessions for more than one week.

Section a: Misbehaviour during a therapy session includes but is not limited to harassment, threatening behaviour, use of a weapon, verbal abuse, and physical violence.

Clause 3: Prisoners who misbehave during therapy sessions are held accountable to the following policy.

Section a: First offence, verbal warning from the prison authorities plus removal of privileges and rewards if considered suitable.

Section b: Second offence, written warning from the prison authorities plus automatic removal of privileges and rewards.

Section c: Third and subsequent offences, solitary confinement for one week plus automatic removal of privileges and rewards.

Section d: There may be a case to answer in the criminal court (or equivalent) of a nation, in which case, prosecution for that offence during a session is recommended.

Article VII Work

Clause 1: When a prisoner is not taking part in a course, he shall be expected to work

Clause 2: It is up to the prison to decide what the work shall be

Clause 3: Total time of work and courses may not exceed 48 hours per week.

Article VIII Rewards

Clause 1: The governor of the prison shall decide on the most suitable reward

Section a: This may be cash with which to buy goods

Section b: This may be goods in kind such as phone cards.

Section c: A reward may be removed by the governor at any time. The governor may also decide on extra punishment depending on the severity of the breach.

Section d: A governor may not shorten a sentence for good behaviour as all prisoners are expected to comply.