[Cyberdog]

> Imagine if prisons looked like the grounds of universities. Instead of languishing in cells, incarcerated people sat in classrooms and learned about climate science or poetry — just like college students.

In general I think this is a great idea, but for God's sake, teach them useful things that will help them get a job once the state lets them out of their cage, not crunchy liberal arts pablum and highly theoretical science that will get them nowhere career-wise. I say this as someone who made the mistake of going into debt to get a degree in English literature.

[moosey]

I do think there should be some English studies, but it should not be a primary focus. Reading books is a great way to help build empathy, and understanding how to read _well_ is a valuable tool in its own right.

[Cyberdog]

Okay, yes, to be clear, I don't disagree with you here. Certainly literature and especially grammar classes can be a part of this. But if the government is going to steal my money to pay for locking people in little boxes, but then allows them to get degrees in poetry and climatology instead of veterinary medicine or computer science, well, that's doubly insulting to me.

[jMyles]

> get a job once the state lets them out of their cage

Gross.

The notion that colleges are supposed to be factories to create workers for jobs that probably won't exist by the time they graduate is bad enough; turning prisons into this is nothing short of a conflict of economic interest.

Learning theoretical science, poetry, dance, music, etc. sounds very plausibly helpful for people who are incarcerated.