I recently took a tour of the Auckland Prison Corrections Inmate Employment industries with the Minister of Corrections Hon Phil Goff.
The tour was a timely way to celebrate the half-way mark of the Prisoner Employment Strategy and the fact that more than half the prison population is in employment or training. This bodes well for our commitment to reach 60 per cent by 2010.
The tour included a visit to the concrete pre-cast yard and engineering and joinery workshops – unfortunately we ran out of time to visit the nursery. We were lucky to have representatives from some of our business partners, including Stone Strong and Best Buys, in attendance. Stone Strong General Manager Adriaan de Lange, spoke highly of the professionalism of the staff, the quality of the products, and the flexible work schedules. I was also pleased to showcase our industries to representatives from the North Shore City Council, including the Deputy Mayor Julia Parfitt JP and members of the Albany Community Board. They were impressed with the employment and training initiatives that we offer prisoners.
This visit reinforced how valuable it is for prisoners to work while they serve time. Research shows that prisoners who find employment on release are less likely to re-offend, making for safer communities. We currently have more than 7,500 people in prison, and the sad fact is that the majority have limited education and work experience. The last prison census showed that 52 per cent of prisoners had no formal qualifications, and only 45 per cent were in paid work before going to prison.
CIE helps prisoners gain job skills and formal qualifications that will assist them to find employment on release. The alternative is to leave them sitting idle in prison cells.
All but the very worst prisoners will return to the community at some time. So it’s important we provide opportunities for prisoners to get on with their lives and become productive members of society.
Employment for prisoners doesn’t take jobs away from people in the community. In fact, Corrections Inmate Employment looks at market trends to identify industries with skill shortages. Then we focus on training and upskilling prisoners in these areas to help ease regional shortages. Throughout New Zealand’s 20 prisons, we have 140 business-like industries which provide an environment where prisoners can learn good work habits. All the revenue generated by these industries goes right back into training opportunities for prisoners.
To read more about Corrections Inmate Employment, go to the story on Growing skills for female prisoners.
Barry Matthews
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