and (they) also earn days off their sentence

[JACEK1]

Hello all users!

An unusual sight in a tough environment.

Inmates in a Brazilian prison have been learning how to knit.

The scheme, which sees prisoners working on intricate woollen designs, is a collaboration between prison authorities and a fashion designer.

Prisoners are paid 75 percent of the local minimum wage and also earn days off their sentence.

All these 4 sentences are taken from Learning English - Words in the News - A delicate job for hard men

It seems to me that (they) also earn days off their sentence means their sentence is reduced/shortened by the amount of days they spend learning how to knit or their sentence is reduced by as many days as they spend learning how to knit.

What do you think?

After a while I thought to myself that I might be mistaken. The meaning is that they spend their time learning to knit, away from the prison compounds. In other words, they have free days in terms of being out of prison. Instead, they have to do something good for society.

Thank you.

 

[Rover_KE]

There is nothing to suggest that the number of days they spend learning how to knit is the same as the number of days by which their sentence is reduced.

Rover

 

[JACEK1]

Please notice that I have supplemented my remarks by new ones. They may be correct ones. I may be wrong. Please see post #1 again.

They are exempt from staying within the prison and ordered to learn how to knit.

 

[Rover_KE]

In future, please do not edit a post after somebody has responded to it.

By doing that you have made my post #2 meaningless to anybody reading the thread for the first time.

Your amendment is still wrong. We are told they are learning to knit in prison, not 'away from the prison compound'.

 

[emsr2d2]

As part of a collaboration between the prison authorities and a fashion designer, the inmates are knitting while they are in prison. If they take part in the knitting scheme, they are paid 75% of the minimum wage for each hour they spend knitting and they are given an (unspecified) reduction in their sentence.

I don't think they are ordered to knit. It sounds like a voluntary scheme.

 

[JACEK1]

Please forgive me for making sure that my understanding is right. By an (unspecified) reduction in their sentence you mean "earning days off their sentence", don't you?

 

[emsr2d2]

Please forgive me for making sure that my understanding is right. By an (unspecified) reduction in their sentence you mean "earning days off their sentence", don't you?

The original piece says that they earn days off their sentence, so you already knew that. I was simply making the point that we don't know how many days are knocked off their sentences.

 

[JACEK1]

So, it meems to me that my first conclusion was a right one:

(they) also earn days off their sentence means their sentence is reduced/shortened by the amount of days they spend learning how to knit or their sentence is reduced by as many days as they spend learning how to knit.

 

[MikeNewYork]

No, Jacek. It says that they will have days taken off their sentences for participating in the program. But it does not stipulate that it will be a day for a day. It is not clear what the formula for reduction is.

 

[emsr2d2]

There is nothing in the piece to suggest what the actual agreement is. For all we know, the prisoners might be given one day off their sentence for every 10 days they spend knitting. They might get one day knocked off their sentence for every 5 minutes they spend knitting. It might be one day's reduction for every day. It is impossible​ to say.