It is well known that offenders tend to have lower levels of education, qualifications, vocational skills and literacy levels than any other members of the community.
Research shows that sustained employment is closely associated with reduced re-offending. Providing prisoners receive the right learning and skills, there is every chance they can improve their general prospects and obtain jobs when they leave prison.
In the New Zealand context, 45% of sentenced prisoners left school prior to the 5th form (year 11), 16% of prisoners have School Certificate or NCEA level 1 equivalent qualifications, and 1 in every 5 adult New Zealanders has poor literacy skills. Of particular significance however, is the large number of Maori, Pacific Peoples and other ethnicities who function below the level of competency in literacy and numeracy to meet the demands of everyday life. This is important because both Maori and Pacific Peoples are significantly over-represented in prison.
From 1 July 2008, the Department changed the focus of education delivery for prisoners from the National Certificate in Employment Skills (NCES), to high-quality and effective Foundation Skills (literacy and numeracy) programmes. The Department has contracted two education providers to develop the Foundation Skills programme and deliver it across the country to achieve the best outcomes for prisoners with an identified need in this area.
The purpose is to enable prisoners to become functionally literate and numerate. It will allow prisoners to develop their reading, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking, numeracy and problem solving skills. This will enable prisoners to undertake rehabilitative programmes in prison, increase their employment opportunities upon release or preparing them for participation in further education or training upon release.
Prisoners must attend Foundation Skills if they meet all of the below criteria:
Prisoners who engage in literacy and numeracy programmes will be better able to cope with the demands of everyday life and function as contributing members of society, increasing their likelihood of leading crime free lives. Many prisoners need to improve their literacy and numeracy skills before going onto address their criminogenic or vocational needs. Their learning might include some workplace examples including:
It is not intended that prisoners will receive any formal recognition for their learning. Education providers may choose to provide certificates of achievement and participation to qualifying prisoners. The main advantage is the personal benefit from improved literacy and numeracy.
There are no NZQA credits attached to literacy and numeracy programmes.
There is no fixed time for how long the course takes. The length of the course is dependent on how much help the prisoner needs to improve their skills. The Foundation Skills tutor will regularly assess the prisoner so they can measure their progression. The tutor will make the decision as to when they are ready to complete the course.
A large number of prisoners have continued to struggle with essential aspects of literacy and numeracy which must be addressed before they enrol on other programmes or further training.
These prisoners should be encouraged to take up literacy and numeracy. If they still do not want to do Foundation Skills they should be asked at a later stage. However, if they are not motivated, they should be directed to take up work initiatives such as internal self-sufficiency activities, or CIE.
A large number of prisoners have continued to struggle with essential aspects of literacy and numeracy which must be addressed before they can participate effectively on programmes to address their criminogenic needs.
The "new look" literacy and numeracy programmes has been developed around real-life situations and generic job tasks often performed by workers.
The Department's aim over time is to align our education provision with the work of other education and government agencies around national standards for delivery of adult literacy and numeracy programmes.