By Eilidh Beaton
So, the home office is planning a pilot project to give inmates email access to enable them to keep in touch with loved-ones.
This announcement is bound to rile some folk in the outside world - particularly certain Daily Mail readers - but without wanting to sound all wishy-washy liberal, provided the emails and the addresses they are sent to are closely monitored, I think it’s a great idea. After all, prisons aren't just about punishing people - they're also about preparing them for taking an active and honest role in society once they leave (or at least that's the theory).
Having quality contact with family and friends whilst in the nick has proven benefits for boosting inmate morale, leaving them better prepared for effective rehabilitation - in particular, helping prisoner-spouse and parent-child relations.
Also, by increasing their IT confidence, inmates may also feel better equipped to get a job once they’ve served their time. As well as the obvious technology skills they will acquire or strengthen, using the written word on a regular basis could also help to exercise their communication skills.
A strict email policy will obviously have to be implemented, with prisoners made aware that what they are writing will be monitored, and that inappropriate content will be detected and not be tolerated. Inmates will also need to be educated on proper email etiquette and appropriate network security measures will need to be put in place. But provided these issues are fully addressed, this is not an unfeasibly difficult project to undertake.
Of course, a line may need to be drawn somewhere - certain members of prison society should arguably be refused this perk. For instance, convicted hackers and online fraudsters should be among those denied email access I would have thought…
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