Cultural activities are rare, but meetups with authors, book clubs or audiobook listening sessions can sometimes be organised.

A variety of activities were available in prison communal areas and these varied from prison to prison. In one case, NPM noted that the communal space was also used by staff for administrative tasks. Other rooms had televisions, table tennis tables, table football, computer games, musical instruments and exercise equipment available. Time spent in communal spaces was limited. For example, at the Warsaw-Białołęka jail, prisoners could only go to these areas between one and four times per week, and at Strzelce Opolskie Prison No. 2, the communal space was open for 1.5 hours per day.¹

Prisons typically have several thousand books, which are provided by public libraries, but there are an insufficient number of books in foreign languages.

The number of working inmates has significantly increased in the recent years. 35.5% of inmates were employed in 2015. They were 46.2% in March 2017. Between these two dates, 2,613 paid jobs and 1,000 unpaid jobs were created.
In Strzelce Opolskie prison, around 40% of inmates have paid positions and around 20% have unpaid positions. In Warsaw-Bialoleka Remand Prison, there are 480 sentenced prisoners working out of 1,120 inmates.
However, there are far less opportunities to work for remand prisoners. In Bialystok Remand prison, 37 inmates have a paid job out of 509 detainees¹.
This overall increase is due to a government programme based on three points: the construction of 40 manufactures near the prisons, the development of unpaid jobs for local authorities and the creation of tax credits for business which employ prisoners².

Inmates do not all receive a salary for their work. Unpaid jobs are done for “a good cause”, on behalf of a set list of authorities or for public companies. They must not exceed 90 hours per month.

Article 102 of the Penal Enforcement Code guarantees the opportunity to receive education. All levels are offered, from primary school to university. Most of the prisoners who profit from these courses are minors.

Article 131 of the Penal Enforcement Code guarantees the opportunity to receive education outside of the prison. In practice, this opportunity is only offered to a select few inmates.

The prison administration does not always foster access to education. Access to computers, even without Internet, is not allowed in cells. The administration justifies this decision with security concerns¹.

The vocational training which is offered results in trained painters, cooks, electricians, tile-layers, roofers, locksmiths, mechanics, carpenters and landscapers.

The therapeutic service at the Wołów prison provided training programmes to prisoners suffering from non-psychotic mental health disorders. Prisoners could learn how to repair damaged book collections from the prison library, creating new covers, decorating the bindings or creating bindings for internal documents for the prison administration. These activities enabled prisoners to acquire practical, professional skills. They prepared incarcerated persons for professional reintegration and used occupational therapy techniques, using specific, time-consuming tasks that teach prisoners to be calm and patient.

Rules regarding access to a television vary from one establishment to the next. Some allow access every day; others, only during set hours.

The religions with the largest numbers of practising members benefit from the presence of chaplains. The visits are must be organised by the chaplains.

The circulation of cash is prohibited in prison. Article 113 of the Penal Enforcement Code states that prisoners must deposit their money in an account in their name. At the request of the accountholder, some funds may be transferred to an outside person. The money that he has available allows him to make purchases.

The remaining balance is returned to the prisoner upon his release. He can also use this money during a furlough or parole.

In shared cells, one inmate is designated to inform the prison administration staff of the needs of the other inmates and the state of the facilities.

Prisoners are allowed to exercise their right to vote, if they so choose. Voting booths are installed in the prisons. Only the individuals imprisoned for serious offences can be deprived of this civic right.