The importance of prison recreation
by Aaron Kraus ’21, Staff Writer
Huwe Burton was wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of his mother at the age of 16. He served 19 years, missing out on his early adulthood and the final years of his father’s life.
But during his time in prison, Burton noticed that inmates found solace in running regularly. He joined them and found his own sense of freedom, which helped him mentally heal, survive prison, become exonerated and compete in the NYC Marathon .
While rare, Burton’s story is important, as it demonstrates the impact of recreation on incarcerated individuals. Not only does recreation improve mental and physical health among inmates, but it also cuts prison healthcare costs. Therefore, federal legislators should standardize adequate recreation mandates nationwide, and states and prisons should be held accountable for ignoring them.
Various studies show the positive effects of prison recreation. An observation in Australia shows that increased exercise decreased inmates’ feelings of hopelessness . An experiment in Italian prisons showed that supervised physical activity improved the fitness and health of inmates. The book, Sport in Prison, also explores the benefits of regular physical activity and states that participation in sport, in addition to its health benefits, may decrease inmates’ opportunities to engage in deviant behavior by providing virtuous forms of socialization, excitement and risk.
Inadequate recreation creates negative effects as well, which are highlighted through the following inmate narratives, taken from Professor Doran Larson’s Fourth City: Essays from the Prison in America. Andrew Jackson Smith argues that prison conditions breed mental illnesses. He exemplifies this by describing the exercise space in his Alabama prison, which “is suited for about twenty-five, but available to over one thousand inmates.” … Consequently, inmates spend most–if not all–of their recreation time waiting their turn to work out. Larry G. “Rocky” Harris elaborates on this claim with an example in an Illinois prison in which correctional officers illegally deny prisoners their yard time. Both of these experiences are common, and lead to increased idle time. Colleen O’Brien notes the proverb “idle hands are the devil’s playground” and discusses its relevance in prisons; violent acts often occur during idle times and increased recreational activities can minimize such acts.
A significant part of the recreation problem stems from the inconsistency of recreation opportunities and the unaccountability of prison officials. Recreation opportunities vary widely across U.S. prisons. The Constitution affords rights to recreation in prisons through the 8th Amendment: prolonged denials of recreation often result in mental or physical damage to inmates, which, if serious enough, can be considered cruel and unusual punishment . The protection is not well-defined though, and has led to various legal outcomes on mandated recreation time. A common standard is that inmates should get 5 hours of recreation per week, ideally spread out over five days. In Spain v. Procunier, the Supreme Court also noted that outdoor exercise is vital to the physical and mental health of inmates. However, prisons have been able to skirt these rules with excuses such as overcrowding and understaffing, safety concerns for certain inmates, punishment/solitary confinement, lack of outdoor facilities, and more. Overall, clear and comprehensive protocol for recreation is lacking, as is accurate record-keeping of recreation opportunities, which undermines accountability.
If inmates are denied adequate recreation, they are more likely to need medical care, which states must provide using public money. Supporters of retributive justice may claim that inmates do not deserve recreation because a prison sentence should serve as a punishment. However, they should take note that the well-being of inmates affects where their tax dollars go. The New York Times estimates the value of adequate exercise at $2,500 per year, meaning that people, on average, can save this much on healthcare per year through exercise . This idea can be extrapolated in some form to state and federal prison settings, in which healthcare costs are covered by the government. If you believe in retributive sentencing, you surely dislike the idea of your hard-earned money going to the treatment of prisoners, especially if it can be prevented.
Prison recreation needs improvement and should be federally standardized. All prisons should provide at least an hour of recreation, at least five days per week with exercise and sport opportunities. Outdoor access should occur regularly for all inmates, weather permitting. Record-keeping of quantity and quality should be mandated and monitored by states. The benefits of prison recreation reform are undeniable, and will offer people like Huwe — guilty or innocent — an opportunity for personal growth.
