Jail programs improve facility safety by reducing idleness, relieving tension, and giving incarcerated people structured opportunities to build practical skills. Education, treatment, recreation, vocational training, and release preparation can support rehabilitation while helping correctional staff maintain order. Effective programs require clear goals, consistent supervision, trained personnel, and firm security procedures.
When most citizens think of the local jail, they may think of inmates housed in units or cellblocks. The facility may be old, with iron bars, or more modern, with brightly lit units and more comfortable day rooms and cells. Inmates watch television, play board games, or engage in recreational activities such as basketball and volleyball. They may also participate in programs. I have toured many jails, and I always ask to see the program areas.
Just about every jail has programs. But does the public, who we serve and keep safe, understand and appreciate their value? Do staff members appreciate the important purpose served by the programs in their facilities, or do they see them as babysitting activities to keep the inmates occupied?
Some critics view inmate recreation and programming as unnecessary privileges. Inside a correctional facility, however, structured activity can reduce tension, support rehabilitation, and make the environment safer for inmates and staff alike. Offering meaningful activities helps determine how calm the facility is, as well as the mental state of the people who live there. That, in turn, affects everyone who lives and works inside a jail, prison, or juvenile detention facility.
In my career, I am proud to say I served as programs director at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center for the Fairfax County (Virginia) Office of the Sheriff. I was assigned to the jail programs section for eight years. Prior to that assignment, I supervised programs in the facility’s Pre-Release Center. In both areas, I worked with a great staff, as well as many caring, concerned, and compassionate civilians who wanted to provide offenders with opportunities to improve themselves.
I also worked the floors as a county jail officer. From both perspectives — housing-unit operations and program supervision — I saw firsthand how recreation and programming can affect safety, behavior, and the overall climate of a facility.
The Purpose of Corrections
Corrections, as a discipline, has several core functions:
- Punishment: Our justice system punishes offenders by taking away their liberty. Being in jail or prison denies inmates the opportunity to live life on their own terms.
- Control: Rules and regulations in a correctional facility are designed to maintain custody and control through headcounts, disciplinary rules, and strict policies governing movement and behavior.
- Deterrence: The prospect of incarceration is intended to discourage people from breaking the law.
- Rehabilitation: Programs address problems such as substance abuse, antisocial behavior, lack of education, and lack of job skills, helping prepare offenders for reintegration into society.
Diversion programs, community corrections programs, in-house programs, and treatment all strive to prevent future criminal behavior that would land offenders back in custody.
For example, if an offender is a drug user who has commit crimes to support their habit, a drug education program may help them become sober. An inmate with no marketable skills could, while incarcerated, learn vocational or trade skills. Many inmates lack education and understand they need to have at least a GED or high school diploma to be successful on the outside. These offenders may take steps to obtain academic credentials while locked up.
The work is difficult, and success is never guaranteed, but rehabilitation remains one of the central purposes of corrections.
Changing Inmates’ Lives
When I taught corrections at the college level, my students often asked me whether I believed offenders in jail can change and turn their lives around. My answer always began with a definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “change” means to make radically different, a transformation or modification.
We all make changes in our lives. We shed some weight. We study and obtain degrees. We learn new languages. We develop skills in sports through hours of conditioning and practice. All these accomplishments take time, concentration, hard work, and energy. Many of us are proud of our achievements and put in the effort to retain what we have learned.
In jails, officers and civilians work in an environment that is regimented, controlled and secure. Many inmates realize that they have made a terrible mistake and do not want to reoffend after they are released. They want to change and never return to jail, but it’s up to the jail to provide the programs they need to accomplish that goal.
The bottom line is, change takes effort, commitment, and hard work. It takes obeying the rules and participating in programs that address inmates’ criminal behavior. Therefore, when they tell me that they want to change, I look to see what hard work, effort, and commitment they exhibit. Talk is cheap; many inmates use the word “change” as a punchline.
Programs are not magic. Some inmates enroll only to impress a judge, obtain a lighter sentence, or gain a temporary break from the housing unit. For programs to produce real change, inmates must want to change and do the heavy lifting themselves.
The Practical Reality of Life Inside
Imagine yourself doing time, confined to a room only a little larger than a good-sized bathroom and living with the same people day after day. Everything is regimented, strict, and routine. Over time, that environment can take a significant psychological toll.
Now combine boredom with the anxiety of living around people you may not like, people you may fear, and people with serious behavioral or mental health issues. The facility may be crowded and noisy, leaving little opportunity for peace and quiet. Incarcerated people think about their cases, time missed with family, and uncertainty about what may happen to them in court and inside the institution. Recreation and programs provide a constructive release for that tension and despondency.
Some correctional officers take a dim view of programs, volunteers, and rehabilitation, especially after years of dealing with “frequent flyers,” manipulation, harassment, and assault. That skepticism is understandable. Yet I have also seen inmates get sober, obtain GEDs, learn to read, change their criminal thinking, and succeed in work-release programs. Sometimes the effort pays off, and sometimes it does not. But the failures do not erase the benefits to inmates, staff, and the community when programs succeed.
The Value of Jail Programs
As a jail officer who worked in inmate housing areas, I can say that the shifts were easier when the inmates were occupied. When inmates were watching movies or sporting events, they generally didn’t misbehave because they knew their TV privileges could be taken away. When they went to the gym for physical recreation, I noticed they returned less boisterous because they’d had a chance to let off steam.
Physical activities may include basketball, volleyball, walking, exercise equipment, and individual workouts. Mental activities may include classes, treatment programs, reading, television, movies, music, board games, and cards. Some activities are individual, while others depend on positive interaction with a group. Both forms of activity matter.
Inmates have needs, and corrections staff should do what they can to meet them. According to Dr. Robert Johnson of American University and research from Hans Toch, inmates undergo a transactional process, adjusting to the environment of the institution[1]. This adjustment process reveals seven dimensions that express the preferences of inmates and their needs. Participation in institutional programs can support each one. They are:
Activity. Inmates have a need to be occupied — to fill time. Physical and mental activity can be positive, and recreational programs can be personally fulfilling. Also, to facilitate a positive mood, many inmates engage in programs that can stimulate them intellectually.
Courts have recognized the importance of exercise, particularly for inmates held for long periods in restrictive housing. Operational realities such as emergencies, misconduct, and lockdowns affect when and how recreation is offered, but prolonged confinement with little or no meaningful opportunity to exercise can be harmful to physical and mental health.
Privacy. Inmates want privacy, but this can be difficult to find in a correctional institution. However, privacy also means a desire for quiet, peace, and being away from overstimulation. As a rule, the small groups in programs tend to be orderly and quiet.
A well-run class, counseling session, library period, or recreation block may offer one of the few opportunities to step away from the noise and conflict of the general population. It may sound odd, but calmness can be a form of privacy.
Safety. Inmates are concerned about their physical safety. They don’t want to be assaulted or harassed or have their property damaged or stolen. Also, they would like to be in safe surroundings. When inmates are carefully screened, supervised and observed by staff, programs can promote safety. Also, I recall inmates telling me that things get tense at times in the unit, and attending programs allows them to “cool off.”
Programs can also create security risks if they are poorly supervised. Staff must watch for gang meetings, assaults, contraband, message passing, and attempts to distract instructors or volunteers. Constant observation and visible staff presence are essential.
Emotional Feedback. We all desire to be loved, cared for, and appreciated. Inmates are no different. Emotional feedback also means a need for intimate relationships, though various kinds of intimate relationships are discouraged in well-run facilities. However, there is also a need for staff to be empathetic to inmates’ problems. Well-trained, security-minded program personnel — including volunteers — can show concern and empathy, but must also guard against manipulation.
Counselors, instructors, chaplains, and volunteers can help inmates through difficult periods while also watching for warning signs. Twice in my career, volunteers alerted officers to inmates displaying suicidal behavior. Observation and communication can save lives.
Support. Inmates want tangible and reliable assistance from services, programs, and staff to help them improve and advance their needs and skills. Jail programs can help in those areas.
Programs should offer genuine opportunities for self-improvement rather than becoming a social hour. Before approving a program, administrators should examine its goals, methods, staffing, and expected outcomes.
Structure. Facilities should be orderly, stable, and keep consistent schedules. Rules should be clear-cut and enforced fairly. Inmates look forward to programs and activities, and things should run on time.
Programs staff and volunteers should understand security procedures, communicate with officers, and follow the chain of command. Repeated cancellations, late starts, and inconsistent rules create frustration in an environment where stability is already in short supply.
Freedom. Yes, all inmates want freedom. However, in this context, inmates want to be autonomous to a point and be treated as adults, with minimal restrictions. They also want to govern their own conduct. In programs, they have opportunities to make decisions about their how they behave and the effort they put forth.
The privilege to participate may also reinforce accountability. Inmates who are assaultive, disruptive, escape risks, or serious management problems may be restricted when justified by policy and safety needs, while good behavior can be recognized through access to appropriate activities and special programs.
Types of Programs
In my career, my staff and I supervised many types of programs. The most effective programs, from my experience, are those in which staff members confront the inmates about the problems and behavior that got them locked up. Some criminal behavior cannot be sugarcoated. While some inmates take advantage of available programs, using them to straighten out and eventually live a crime-free life on the outside, some will inevitably use programs as a way to game the system.
Jail staff need to observe inmates carefully to determine whether they’re serious about using programs to achieve positive life goals.
Here are the major types of programs I’ve seen successfully integrated into jails:
Substance Abuse. Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can be effective for those who approach them with a positive mindset. Both can work well when combined with substance abuse education programs. Both AA and NA meetings are led by recovering substance abusers, and the leaders I knew and respected told me they could see through inmates’ denials and excuses.
Education. Over the years, I met many inmates who had difficulty reading and writing. The pull of criminal behavior is strong; many chose to skip school, hang out with fellow offenders, and put a low priority on getting an education. When they come to jail, they often wake up, realizing that to any success in life requires at least a GED or high school diploma. Educational programs can also include language skills programs for inmates with limited English fluency.
One of the best programs I worked with was ESL (English as a second language). Other educational offerings might include basic literacy, pre-GED instruction, special education, and (where resources permit) college or advanced-degree coursework.
Vocational and Occupational Training. Having job skills is a must to succeed on the outside. Vocational programs can help inmates develop the skills they need to help them reintegrate with the community upon being released. Jails are secure facilities, and the implementation of vocational programs depends on staffing, funding, and good security procedures.
Common offerings include carpentry, welding, HVAC repair, automotive technology, culinary arts, commercial laundry, sewing, and industry apprenticeships. The objective is not simply to fill time, but to give participants marketable experience and a realistic path to employment.
Addressing Criminal Behavior. If offenders want to stay out of jail they must address, in clear terms, the behavior that led to their arrest. Part of the typical offender’s lifestyle is to blame others. Committing crime is a matter of choice, and the pull of the street is strong. To counter this, they must come to understand what is wrong with their lives. Often, it takes many arrests and incarcerations for this need to take root. Unfortunately, some never figure it out.
Cognitive and behavioral programs may address social skills, problem-solving, criminal thinking, victim impact, emotional self-regulation, impulse control, trauma, relationship management, substance abuse, and stress.
Life Skills and Preparing for Release. Many offenders do not know how to manage money — including managing a checking account, saving for the future, paying bills, and so on. Many inmates know nothing about raising children, caring for a family, or pre- and postnatal care. Luckily, these skills can be acquired as adults through jail programs.
Life skills also include reconnecting with family members and contributing positively to one’s family. Inmates know that life is passing them by. They should be encouraged to participate in properly supervised programs involving family members.
Release preparation can also cover obtaining identification and a Social Security number, understanding probation requirements and public benefits, finding housing, preparing for job interviews and learning how to keep a job.
Mental Health. It’s no secret that many inmates in our jails have wide-ranging mental health issues. The local jail is, in essence, the largest mental hospital in any community. These are difficult offenders, as their behavior may be unpredictable, and many need treatment and medications.
A mental health section, sometimes called a forensics unit, can house newly admitted inmates who exhibit behavioral problems, are observed by officers acting irrationally, and/or are suspected of having mental health issues upon arrest. Jail classification and medical staff are key resources for these programs. Offenders are interviewed by classification officers and provide information about their mental histories. In some jails, mentally ill inmates may be placed in a unit with close proximity to the mental health staff and correctional officers.
Where appropriate, diversion programs can connect people with serious mental illness, substance-use disorders, developmental disabilities, or neurocognitive disorders to treatment in lieu of continued incarceration. These efforts require close coordination among jail personnel, medical and mental health professionals, the courts, and prosecutors.
Religion and Spirituality. Inmates have a right to practice their religious beliefs, within security parameters. Many obtain solace and a positive outlook through religious involvement. Chaplains should have a working knowledge of all religions. Some facilities provide clergy from local churches who come into the jail to minister to inmates.
Programs may include worship services, prayer groups, meditation, faith-based reentry, mentoring, religious study, and special observances such as mass, communion, and confession. Religious programming should serve different faith traditions while remaining consistent with safety and security requirements.
Recreation and Leisure. Recreation and leisure may include fitness and sports, walking, library access, hobbies and crafts, music, book clubs, television, films, board games, and cultural organizations. Weight training remains controversial in some facilities because of concerns about staff safety and the possibility of equipment being used as weapons. Others view it as a constructive activity that develops discipline and can be controlled through eligibility rules, supervision, and loss of privileges for misconduct.
Operating Programs Safely and Effectively
The number and type of programs a facility can offer depend on funding, staffing, physical layout, and the correctional philosophy of the administration. Older or underfunded facilities may have limiting classroom or recreation space, decreasing participation and keeping inmates confined to housing units for longer periods. Funding must account not only for materials and equipment, but also for the staff presence needed to maintain security.
Recreation can reduce tension, but it can also create contention. Fights may break out over a basketball call, volleyball game, or access to equipment. Inmates may pass messages, arrange gang activity, search an instructor’s belongings, or attempt to slip away from a class. Every activity must be planned and supervised as a correctional operation, not treated as an ordinary community program.
Tips for Operating Jail Programs
1. Programs should have a purpose. Jail staff should always make it a priority to focus inmates on preparing for release, avoiding future crime, getting educated, staying sober, and learning new vocational and life skills. These types of programs can have a positive impact on inmates, especially those who want to stay out of jail after their release. While attending programs gives inmates a break from the tedium, tension, and routine of the unit, programs should not evolve into a “social hour.”
2. Civilians are at risk of manipulation. Civilians who staff jail programs must understand the jail environment. Their “students” are pretrial detainees or convicted criminals, all in trouble with the law. Ministering to and tutoring inmates inside a jail is different from volunteering at a local church, library, or school. Civilians will be flirted with, “buttered up,” and fed sad stories of how bad jail is.
In these situations, the inmates’ goal may be manipulation — convincing civilians to engage in sex, help them escape, bring contraband in, carry messages to and from the street, or testify in court about the inmates’ effort in jail programs.
Civilians must never give their personal information or perform favors for inmates. One of the best AA volunteers I worked with began each session with: “I know the rules; you know the rules. Please do not ask me to break them.”
3. Officers and civilians need to communicate. It’s important to establish and maintain good relationships between civilians and officers. Civilians in jail programs can serve as extra eyes and ears for the professional staff. They should feel comfortable interacting with sworn officers and vice versa, relying on mutual respect.
Communication must be two-way. Volunteers and instructors must follow staff direction during emergencies and report concerns about inmates. Officers should support legitimate program efforts, explain security expectations and address boundary violations promptly.
4. Civilians need meaningful training and vetting. Civilians, including volunteers and those functioning under memorandums of agreement (MOAs), must undergo comprehensive, mandatory training, and not just a brief orientation.
Training should include the purpose and culture of the facility, sworn staff duties, a thorough facility tour, emergency procedures, rules about contraband, situational awareness, communication with officers, inmate manipulation and professional boundaries, inmate culture and language, technology controls, and conduct that can lead to loss of access or criminal charges.
5. Technology must be controlled. Tablets and computers can expand educational and recreational opportunities, but they also create new avenues for rule violations. Staff and program personnel must understand approved uses, access restrictions, monitoring requirements, and consequences for misuse.
6. Programs require consistency and accountability. Activities should start on time, follow clear rules, and be administered fairly. Participants should know what conduct is expected and what can result in punishment or restriction. Staff should evaluate whether programs are meeting their stated goals, not merely whether seats are filled.
7. Programs are valuable. Jail programs provide hope for inmates who want to get out and stay out. Corrections leaders must make this clear to the line staff. Not all line officers will agree — they may have seen the negative side of inmates, may have been lied to, disrespected, and conned. However, it is every facility leader’s responsibility to help them understand that not all inmates use programs in a negative way. Many want to succeed — doing their time, getting out, and staying out.
Beyond Passing the Time
It’s easy for people outside corrections to look at a basketball game, GED class, or religious service and see inmates simply passing the time. Those who work behind the walls understand structured recreation and programming are also management tools. They reduce idleness, relieve tension, encourage positive interaction, and help maintain order in environments where boredom and frustration can quickly create problems.
A facility where inmates have constructive ways to occupy their minds and bodies is generally safer than one where they have little to do but dwell on problems, settle scores, or create new ones. Well-run programs require planning, funding, supervision, and properly trained staff and volunteers. When those elements are in place, officers work in a calmer environment, facilities operate more smoothly and inmates gain opportunities to build healthier habits and practical skills.
And remember: One of the primary functions of corrections is rehabilitation. In this regard, programs can be extremely helpful. Regardless of how it sometimes feels, many inmates can and do change.
Recreation and programming cannot solve every problem. Not every inmate wants to change, and rehabilitation is never guaranteed. But when programs are managed professionally, they remain valuable tools for promoting safety, stability, and positive change — inside the facility and after release.
References
- Johnson R. Hard Time: Understanding and Reforming the Prison, Third Edition. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002.
Originally posted in May 2024, this article has been substantially revised, updated, and republished in August 2026.
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