Gyms in prison

[Goosey]

Should they have access to barbells and such?

IMO, there is no reason that convicted criminals, particularly those that were found guilty of violent crimes, should be allowed the privilege of weight training.

 

[tat maytals]

I thought they werent any more.

 

[jchen]

Having known a few boys that have done time and speaking with them about training, they do lots of forced negatives with towels.

At woodford (violent offenders) he said they didnt have any barbells or anything but they used towels do do resistance exercises and people would sit on peoples shoulders for squats and on their back for pushups etc aswell as dips, even upside down pushups for pressing.

He also said steroids are plentiful at woodford along with hgh aswell.

 

[Azz]

Well if I've learnt anything from 'Oz', dumbbells make good weapons.

 

[Admin]

i was watching a doco on weight training in an american gym , they held comps etc
they said that the reason that they do it is that
a) a happy prisoner is easier to look after
b) it lets them burn off steam , making them too tired to cause any conflict

 

[Paullie]

I saw that same doco, those boys were pushing some impressive numbers as well.

 

[leachy]

Saw a similar thing as admin and paully. One of the main reasons prisoners act out is because of depression and lonliness. If giving them a barbell or a boxing ring let's them work off there anger and gain a sense of belonging then it should be encouraged. Remember prison isn't just punishment it is also rehabilitation. They eventually have to reintegrate back into society.

 

[Norse]

Saw a similar thing as admin and paully. One of the main reasons prisoners act out is because of depression and lonliness. If giving them a barbell or a boxing ring let's them work off there anger and gain a sense of belonging then it should be encouraged. Remember prison isn't just punishment it is also rehabilitation. They eventually have to reintegrate back into society.

Well said

 

[Christian]

^^

Exactly..

Plus imagine if you are training hard and you are given incentives to behave like larger meal portions.. MILK even.

It would make someone who cares about there body trhink twice before acting out.

 

[dicko10]

Saw a similar thing as admin and paully. One of the main reasons prisoners act out is because of depression and lonliness. If giving them a barbell or a boxing ring let's them work off there anger and gain a sense of belonging then it should be encouraged. Remember prison isn't just punishment it is also rehabilitation. They eventually have to reintegrate back into society.

I agree with this.
When i did a uni tour of one of WA's max prisons i saw the prisoners doing a lot of pull-ups, dips, reverse bench. body weight stuff. not sure if there was barbells.

 

[And the Ugly]

I definitely don't think they should be allowed weight equipment or the time to use it.
If they want to burn off steam they could be doing meaningful work helping the rest of society in some way rather than being given a chance to eat, sleep and train off my dime.

 

[Christian]

I definitely don't think they should be allowed weight equipment or the time to use it.
If they want to burn off steam they could be doing meaningful work helping the rest of society in some way rather than being given a chance to eat, sleep and train off my dime.

The idea is to have them not resent the world when they come out though...

 

[Kyle Aaron]

The point of prison is to deprive people of their liberty. That's all. Not to bore or torture them.

Deprivation of liberty is quite enough. Just imagine being locked up in a hectare or two for the next several years, the doors to your cell locked for most of the hours of the day, meals at set times, not able to choose who you're in a cell with, or who you spend your days with, and so on. That's enough.

Shit, 97% of people can't hack having a personal trainer or coach tell them how many fucking reps to do. How would you cope with being locked up? It's enough.

Remember that most of these guys will be released one day. You don't treat a prisoner as though he's never going to be released. The aim is rehabilitation, not purely retribution.

 

[leachy]

I definitely don't think they should be allowed weight equipment or the time to use it.
If they want to burn off steam they could be doing meaningful work helping the rest of society in some way rather than being given a chance to eat, sleep and train off my dime.

What would you have them do? How would you propose to fund this "meaningful" work?

 

[TrentZor]

What would you have them do? How would you propose to fund this "meaningful" work?

Start painting?

 

[And the Ugly]

What would you have them do? How would you propose to fund this "meaningful" work?

Work. You know that thing us non-criminals have to do EVERY FUCKING DAY just to get by?

They're already set up with jobs and work in prisons - manual labour like making licence plates. They could make bricks and tiles, as well as any number of things. Those items can then be sold to either cover costs or make a profit for the government. Failing that the items could be made available to needy people within the community.
In addition to the crims being kept busy and productive, if they learn actual trade skills then they're more likely to be able to integrate back into society and get a job.

I was a copper and I used to go into prisons on a weekly basis. They're no club med but the standard of living for many is ridiculously good. They have stores at which they can buy items with money they earn from work, spend hours each day in exercise yards and don't have to work if they don't want.

But i'll revise my opinion: Prison inmates should not have access to gyms, or the time to use them, unless they do a certain amount of work and pay for it- just like I have to.

 

[Ben]

I seen the doco too, it was an interesting watch. There was some big mothers in there!!

None of the prisoners wanted to misbehave, because if they did, the privelage of the weight room was removed from ALL prisoners.

 

[DKD]

To me the number one aim of a prison should be to act as a deterrent to committing crime. They need to be absolute hellholes IMO so that the crims don't want to return and so that it's widely known how tough they are. I'd like to see Aussie prisons getting fearsome reputations like you hear about overseas. This may actually help reduce crime incidents. Instead I've seen TV footage of cells with TV and Internet access. WTF?

I think the concept of them working towards a trade is worthwhile but it should be done on a limited basis....2 hours a day max and then lock them back up. Fuck letting them do weights. I'd be interested to hear about the re-offending rates for guys that get released. I've heard it's not an insignificant percentage. Why should we be letting these guys get stronger, more fearsome, and more capable of inflicting vicious assaults when they get out?

 

[GoPies]

Some people are bad, and will always be like that. Some people like to think that people get rehabilitated in prisons but the vast majority do not.

Prison should scare people into not re-offending. I agree that they should be hell on earth. Capital punishment should never have been abolished.

I guess many will be upset with that, but that's my opinion.

 

[IRON TANKS]

Saw a similar thing as admin and paully. One of the main reasons prisoners act out is because of depression and lonliness. If giving them a barbell or a boxing ring let's them work off there anger and gain a sense of belonging then it should be encouraged. Remember prison isn't just punishment it is also rehabilitation. They eventually have to reintegrate back into society.

Yep, this.