Why Correctional Recreation is Important for Inmates (Essay Sample)

Why Correctional Recreation is Important for Inmates
Introduction
Health and safety should be improved and implemented in the prison culture and environment. Although most penitentiaries' policy discussions and public attention center on private facilities, nearly 83% of at least 1,600 United States facilities are managed and operated by states (Alexander, 2017). According to this survey, states are a fundamental component of analysis in discerning the widespread repercussions of incarcerations and the context of possible solutions. Therefore, policy adjustments within institutions should start at the state level through correctional departments. For instance, California has restructured its state correctional units and changed its name to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. This paper focuses on exploring why correctional recreation is essential for inmates. The origin of correctional reaction can be traced back to 1870 (Meek, 2020). The earliest National Prison Association (NPA) occurred in 1870, and it found a solution to operate prisons as rehabilitation centers.
Initially, penitentiaries served as punishment units before the NPA congress. As a result, some prisons introduced extracurricular activities by allowing inmates to appreciate and enjoy their time during national holidays. For instance, on some specific occasions, prisoners were allowed to participate in leisure activities such as stage plays, seminars, and music. Moreover, these activities changed and developed into a fully-fledged recreational platform for prisoners. However, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, inmate recreational activities have been affected in various ways. Considering the conditions surrounding the pandemic, correctional recreational activities for inmates may be constrained, adjourned, or changed. Some United States reformatories are still letting inmates take part in recreational activities where divisional activities are done (León et al., 2021). Instead of the whole prisoner population attending extracurricular activities, inmates are divided into various groups by tiers and blocks. In essence, this is vital for lowering the chances of any transmission of the COVID-19 for inmates.
Types of Correctional Recreation Activities
Inmates can participate in plenty of extracurricular activities that are majorly divided into three categories. These groups include reintegration programs, activity-focused recreation, and reformative initiatives. These undertakings may be reorganized by correctional facilities for inmates to maintain social distancing (León et al., 2021). It may be challenging for prisoners to ensure social distancing since they are contained in close residence. Prisoners who are seen as susceptible or with compromised immunity may be subject to quarantine in a medical center, and others may not take part in some extracurricular activities.