Corrections has offered many things over the years to help prisoners adjust to life after prison, but they were often done in isolation and took second place to the general day-to-day management of prisoners,” says General Manager Integration Phil McCarthy.
Today reintegration work is more coordinated, says Phil. “Corrections is introducing a range of reintegration initiatives targeting the areas that research has shown are most likely to contribute to re-offending.”
For example, it has been known for a long time that former prisoners with reliable jobs after release are less likely to re-offend.
Accordingly, Work and Income Prisoner Reintegration Teams are now in every prison helping offenders find work on release. They will soon be joined by specialist reintegration caseworkers focusing on the reintegration of prisoners who are in most need, such as women and young prisoners.
Phil is quick to point out that all staff have a role to play in this.
“Sentence planners identify prisoners’ reintegration needs when preparing their sentence plans at the start of their time inside.
After their release, probation officers monitor their circumstances and help them meet their reintegration needs. Everyone in contact with prisoners - from case officers, to Corrections Inmate Employment instructors and rehabilitation programme co-ordinators - can help prisoners identify and consider their options on release.
“All staff across Corrections can help prisoners’ reintegration needs. It’s not something that should be thought of as only work for those whose roles focus on reintegration,” says Phil.
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ISSN 1178-8453