A prisoner of the courts generally is waiting either for parole or for death. For the former, the wait is classified as rehabilitation -- forget for a minute the latter.
Various schemes are in place to rehabilitate inmates to a place in society. Schemes involve prison labor and services, instruction
of trades, and education in and conferring of degrees in a variety of fields.
Many arguments follow that style of rehabilitative administration:
1. Prison is punishment, not vacation.
2. Costs/Benefits are high.
3. Behaviors learned by inmates are of little social benefit.
Taxpayers rankle somewhat at a rehabilitation program that produces bodybuilders, scat musicians, telemarketers, forgers, ministers, paralegals, locksmiths, and recovery therapists from the population of strong and wide-eyed high school kids they have to reform. No two ways about it.
Rather than attack the rehab systems in place, establish uniformity throughout by an order for certain indisputably beneficial credentials to be certified as learned by any inmate prior to consideration for parole. Any inmate paroled must maintain certification in his or her area as a condition of probation.
Two certifications that come to mind are emergency life support, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and water safety certification, or lifeguard training. I was offered the suggestions of Horse Handling and Lamaze classes by a couple of people I spoke with earlier today.
Think "Where are the felons when you need one?"