[Drug Crime Offender Guidance Program] [Rehabilitation] [Arts Talent Classes] [Reading Seminars] [Professional Treatment Courses] [Life Education Project] [Restorative Justice] [Recreational activities] [Character Education]

      Objectives of life education: Life education is implemented to help inmates understand the value of life, and further empathize with others, care for the society and love the ecological environment. This is so that they can repair their relationship with themselves, victims, their families and the society, thus enriching their life meaning.

Human Based．Searching for Life Energy

      Life education consists of courses with life as the core topic and aims to create a human-based harmonious society that safeguards human dignity. Contents not only include a person's relationship with him/herself, with family, with the society and with nature, but also the meaning and spirit of restorative justice, six ethics of the mind and character education.

Diverse Learning．In-depth Experience

      Life education in Taichung Women's Prison is implemented by counsels, advisors and social workers who design the lesson plans. Resources of charities and the society are utilized for offering talent classes, promotional activities and group courses, hoping that diverse learning methods, including film appreciation, explanation, experience and sharing, will help inmates truly understand life education.

Purpose

1. To help inmates gain respect for life.
   1. To help inmates understand the meaning of life, and further value and cherish life, building an active and positive outlook on life.
   2. To bring out their potential and enrich their lives through self-experience.
2. To help inmates grow.To help inmates better know themselves, accept themselves, increase their confidence and build their faith in themselves.
   1. To foster inmates' self-acceptance and emotion management abilities and cultivate a health character.
   2. To help inmates actively explore the meaning and value of life and self-realize.
3. To enhance inmates' humanistic literacy.
   1. To help inmates build well-rounded relationships, respect their own lives and care for others' lives.
   2. To teach inmates to care for minorities, show the spirit of great love, and drive social harmony; care for nature, show concern for environmental issues, care for the ecological environment and protect earth.

Subjects and Location

1. Inmates of Taichung Women's Prison and their family members.
2. Discipliners and staff members of Taichung Women's Prison.

Implementation Principles

1. Incorporate edification and education activities as the implementation axis: Implement the annual recreational activity implementation plan step by step, so that concepts of life education and restorative justice will strike root in this prison and bring positive effects.
2. Correctional staff members are the focus of implementation: Staff members should strengthen concepts of life education in daily life, and utilize gatherings, group counseling or counseling by category for promoting life education and teaching life education courses, so that life education will strike roots deep in the hearts of inmates.
3. Strengthen results of teaching by words and example: Enhance the competencies of correctional staff, support inmates via edification and guidance methods, properly utilize diverse teaching materials, and show a respectful, accepting and democratic attitude to change and influence inmates unobtrusively and imperceptibly.
4. Cognition, affection, attitude and action objectives: Activities and courses should be educational, heart-searching, inspirational, connected with daily life and practical. This is to cultivate inmates' ability to self-examine and increase their intention to put what they've learned into practice.
5. Develop and properly utilize social resources: Actively utilize resources of the Probation and Parole Association, Taiwan After-Care Association Taichung Branch, Association for Victims Support Taichung Branch and other charitable organizations for life education and restorative justice promotion activities and group courses, promoting concepts of life education and creating a learning environment full of respect, care and growth.

Organization

        The warden is the convener of the "Life Education Promotion Group," members include professional restorative justice lecturers Chen Tsu-Hui and Huang Chih-Pang, the deputy warden, secretary, and chiefs of the Edification and Education Section, Guard and Control Section, Investigation Section, Business Section, Sanitation and Health Section and Personnel Office. The group meets periodically to implement life education for inmates.

Implementation Method

      Widely gather life education related materials and select life education related books for correctional staff to study, thus enriching their professional knowledge on life education and further enhancing their competencies. This will enable them to plan courses that meet growth needs of inmates.

Evaluation and Assessment

1. Results evaluation:
   1. Each counsel should teach at least one life education lesson at each workshop each month. After the lesson, inmates should complete a "feedback form" or "homework form," and the counsel should record the class in the "life education activity record book." Furthermore, the workshop supervisor should register the start and end time of the lesson and counsel on the workshop logbook.
   2. Correctional staff should film life education lessons on CD. Each staff member should have at least one lesson recorded every six months for assessment, study or evaluation. Furthermore, after teaching life education lessons, correctional staff should review their instructions or examine contents recorded on the CD to improve their lecture and guidance techniques.
   3. The chief of the Edification and Education Section should personally observe life education lessons being taught by correctional staff; the chief should observe each staff member at least once every six months, and offer quantified and qualified feedback after the lesson. However, if the chief is unable to comply due to heavy workload or other special circumstances, the chief may watch the CD afterwards with the warden's approval.
2. Life education plan review committee:
   1. The life education plan review committee consists of teachers Chen Tsu-Hui and Huang Chih-Pang, the secretary, and chiefs of the Edification and Education Section, Guard and Control Section, Investigation Section, Business Section and Personnel Office. The deputy warden is the convener of this group, and the group meets before the end of each year to review lesson plans and course implementation.
   2. Before reviews, correctional staff members randomly pick one lesson plan and an audiovisual file and submit them to the review committee two weeks in advance.
   3. When the review committee meeting is held, correctional staff members should personally explain their lesson plans or respond to questions of committee members. Staff members with excellent review results should be awarded in accordance with item 13, article 1 of the "Ministry of Justice Correctional Facility Award and Punishment Standards."
   4. The establishment of the review committee and review operations may be implemented in coordination with other correctional facilities in the Taichung area.

Expected Results:

1. Creating a life education learning environment in correctional facilities and offering art and cultural activities will help inmates correctly understand life.
2. Diverse learning methods, including film appreciation, explanation, experience and sharing, supported with easy-to-understand, vivid and touching examples will help inmates understanding the meaning of life education.
3. An atmosphere of mutual care and growth is created by putting inmates into groups and using their past or present life experiences, opening wisdom and hope in inmates'lives.