Forestry - just one of the prison industries that will be employing
or training 60 per cent of prisoners by 2009.
Increasing employment training opportunities for prisoners is a prime focus for Corrections, as we enter the second year of the Prisoner Employment Strategy (PES).
A fundamental goal of the Department is to increase the chances of prisoners obtaining legitimate employment on release - which studies have shown reduces re-offending, leading to safer communities.
Launched in June 2006, the PES aims to have 60 per cent of the prison muster involved in employment or training by the end of 2009. Strong progress has been achieved to date, with 45 per cent of all prisoners and 56 per cent of sentenced prisoners involved in employment or training. This represents a growth of more than 550 prisoners.
Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) National Manager, Brent Maughan, says the target of engaging 60 per cent of prisoners in employment represents the creation of 1,900 new prisoner positions from the start of the strategy until the end of 2009.
Since June 2006, 416 new prisoner positions have been created, and in the 2007/08 year, our target is to create 534 more new positions.
”The first year of the strategy focused on engaging prisoners who were ‘easily’ accessible. Low to medium security prisoners, who could be mixed with others, were encouraged to be involved in employment and training initiatives available at their particular prison.”
Brent says it is now time to broaden the opportunities available to other prisoners.
“The focus in the second year of the strategy is on increasing the provision of quality training and relevant employment to a wider range of prisoners. In particular, we need to target high security prisoners who have previously had limited access to employment training.”
CIE has devised a strategy for expanding the opportunities available to prisoners, which involves developing individualised Prisoner Employment Growth (PEG) plans for each prison.
“New training initiatives will be put in place to target prisoners who are not currently engaged in employment or training, but have the ability to be involved, if the correct resources are in place,” Brent says.
Details concerning the types of employment or training activities, facilities (existing/to be built) to deliver these activities, and the hiring of new instructors and Corrections officers are also outlined in the PEG plans.
Brent says that, ideally, the PEG plans will determine core employment streams, such as engineering or catering, that will provide career paths to prisoners. These will incorporate training or employment opportunities available from high security through to release.
“This may involve taking up industry training until they are able to work within the prison business-like industry, and then move on to the Release to Work programme,” he says.
The PEG plans are developed in consultation with the individual prison, and are signed off by the Prison Manager and Regional Prison Manager. Once signed off, they are handed over to prison management to implement through a local implementation team comprised of local Prison Services, CIE and Assets and Property staff.
Prisoner Employment Growth plans have been developed and are in the early phases of implementation at Christchurch Men’s and Hawke’s Bay Prison. Plans are also underway for Auckland, Waikeria, Rimutaka, Tongariro/Rangipo, Wanganui, Spring Hill, Otago Corrections Facility and Manawatu prisons.
Plans will be drawn up for remaining prisons early in the New Year.
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ISSN 1178-8453