ESL Lesson Plan: Should Prisons Be Comfortable?

In this C1/C2 ESL lesson plan, students explore the controversial question of whether prisons should be comfortable and examine the balance between punishment, rehabilitation, and public safety. They begin by considering different attitudes towards crime and punishment before watching the video, which explores humane prison design and the innovative approach used at Halden Prison in Norway.

Students develop advanced vocabulary and phrasal verbs related to crime, punishment, prison life, and criminal behaviour while completing video-based activities and exploring different approaches to prison design. They then examine a range of real-life crime scenarios and debate what punishments would be most appropriate.

The lesson challenges students to consider whether prison should be deliberately unpleasant, whether rehabilitation should take priority over punishment, and how society should respond to people who commit crimes. Through discussions, debates, case studies, and personalised activities, students are encouraged to express nuanced opinions and critically examine their own ideas about justice and punishment.