Having a job on release from prison reduces the chance of a prisoner reoffending. This is why I am particularly interested in progressing prisoner employment activities as a way of meeting this goal.
Some encouraging statistics show that we are moving in the right direction: the total number of employment hours provided to prisoners increased from around 4.6 million in 2004/05 to approximately 5.2 million in 2005/06 and the total number of NZQA unit standards increased from 3,643 in 2004/05 to 5,567 in 2005/06.
I am similarly encouraged to see that the Department has exceeded its February 2007 target of getting 80 prisoners on the Return to Work programme.
The Prisoner Employment Strategy launched in May last year aims to make employment training available to as many prisoners as possible.
A reduction of 33 percent of reported prisoner work accidents since April 2006 (see story on page 8) illustrates that Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) operates a professional and safe work environment for its staff and prisoners. CIE is not about hobby classes and time-filling. Prisoner employment activities are even more effective if they target areas of shortage in the labour market. For example, I am looking forward to taking up the invitation to visit Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility to see the prisoner purchasing centre where prisoners distribute inwards goods. This type of employment activity at a prison in south Auckland will provide new skills on release for work in commercial distribution centres in this same area.
Another important factor is the support of the community in providing work opportunities to prisoners. This is integral in helping prisoners gain their skills and confidence and I commend those industries which support prisoner employment.
Corrections Inmate Employment's DVD that showcases what can be achieved is quite inspiring and I was impressed by the high quality of interviews of employers and prisoners. It really demonstrated to me how getting job experience and skills and gaining the formal qualifications the industry expects is an effective way to make a difference to the new lives prisoners canenjoy after they are released. I hope it will also inspirefuture employers to support prisoner employment.
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ISSN 1178-8453