It’s believed that 500,000 New Zealanders proudly pinned white ribbons on their chests to mark White Ribbon Day last November.
It was 85 prisoners serving sentences at Rimutaka Prison who made that possible.
In encouraging people to show they neither condone or tolerate violence towards women, the now widely supported annual event also enables prisoners to contribute to a cause many identify with as perpetrators.
While one group of prisoners cut and folded 60km of material to make the ribbons, another group working in the Wellington Prison Print Shop made the cards they were pinned to and boxed them for national distribution.
It was the fourth consecutive year that prisoners have been involved in the campaign and Corrections Inmate Employment Internal Services Manager Ruth Turner says it’s gaining momentum each year.
“The orders have grown from 50,000 in 2005 to 200,000 and 400,000 the following years.”
Ruth says the Department is proud to support a campaign that ties in strongly with Corrections’ vision.
“Corrections’ vision is to improve public safety by reducing re-offending. There are a number of people serving either prison or community based sentences because of violent crimes.
“Corrections aims to make our communities safer by helping offenders address the reasons behind their offending and providing them with skills to change their lives, to live a life without crime. This is achieved through a range of rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives.”
Ruth says prisoner employment is one such initiative that aims to reduce re-offending by providing prisoners with employment skills, training and formal qualifications while they are serving their prison sentence.
The last prison census shows that 55 per cent of prisoners did not have a job before entering prison and 52 per cent had no formal qualifications. Research shows that prisoners who find sustainable employment on release are less likely to re-offend.
“Introducing prisoners to basic employment skills through the White Ribbon project helps to build their work experience and attitude towards pursuing further employment and making positive changes in their lives,” says Ruth.
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ISSN 1178-8453