Promoting healthier lifestyles for
prisoners
Recommendations in our March 2006 report
HM Prison Service: Serving time – prisoner
diet and exercise included raising
awareness about healthy eating and increasing prisoners’
participation in physical education. Gaining new skills and
interests, and in some cases gaining vocational qualifications in
these subjects whilst in prison, may be a stepping stone to
prisoners becoming responsible citizens when they leave prison.
In our guide on Promoting
healthier lifestyles for prisoners we recognised that prison PE
officers, who get to know prisoners in the course of their work,
are in a unique position to encourage and support prisoners to get
fit and prepare for healthier lives when they go back to the
community. We provide facts, good practice examples and
“ideas to try” under the following sections:
- It’s about diet as well as exercise!
- How can I persuade them to eat better?
- Inspiring exercise – it’s not all about
weight training!
- How can I persuade them to prepare for life
outside prison?
Participation in exercise and eating healthily are
good for all of us. Prisoners are no different – though many
are at a lower starting point. But they have to want to
improve and, like everyone else, they need lots of encouragement to
start and to persevere – and the PE officer can be a great
help.
We hope you find this guide useful. To
give feedback, please contact enquiries@nao.gsi.gov.uk