This thread is more about "how harsh should prisons be" and allowing prisoners to do weights is just one factor out of many. I don't see the problem with rewarding them for good behaviour and punishing them for bad behaviour - if weights can be used to achieve this for some prisoners then why not use it?
Better food, more out of cell time, internet access, longer visiting hours are all used as incentives, lifting weights is just another factor.
This is just my opinion, but it seems to me a lot of crims weren't good at school, and saw crime as the quick and easy way to achieve success, fame, money, respect, whatever. What a lot of them missed out on was having to work hard (mentally or physically) and reaping the rewards of that hard work.
Lifting weights is a good way to learn respect, dedication, discipline, effort etc and the rewards could go a long way towards rehabilitation.
Better food, more out of cell time, internet access, longer visiting hours are all used as incentives, lifting weights is just another factor.
This is just my opinion, but it seems to me a lot of crims weren't good at school, and saw crime as the quick and easy way to achieve success, fame, money, respect, whatever. What a lot of them missed out on was having to work hard (mentally or physically) and reaping the rewards of that hard work.
Lifting weights is a good way to learn respect, dedication, discipline, effort etc and the rewards could go a long way towards rehabilitation.