7 October
The number of prisoners in education and training is set to increase by 1,000 on any given day under the Prisoner Skills and Employment Strategy 2009 – 2012, which was launched by the Minister of Corrections at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility this morning.
The strategy creates a framework for the Department to increase the number of prisoners receiving training in areas such as literacy, numeracy and work skills, as well as increase the number of prisoners participating in industry based training.
“Raising the skill levels of prisoners not only helps their chances of finding sustainable employment on release, but more importantly makes prisoners less likely to re-offend, which in turn helps to keep our communities safe,” says Department of Corrections Chief Executive Barry Matthews.
“This strategy focusses on doing more of what we know works. We will be looking to build on the relationships that we have established with Institutes of Techonology and Polytechs around the country, and develop new partnerships. "We will be increasing the number of training places available to prisoners, and extending what we already have in place to create opportunities for remand prisoners, and those serving shorter sentences.
“Under this strategy, we are looking to deliver more skill development opportunities as new job opportunities are limited in the current economic climate. This will enable prisoners to be in a position to contribute to New Zealand’s future economic growth, and give them a better chance of gaining employment when they are released.
“Prisoner employment is a key initiative for ensuring the successful reintegration of prisoners back into the community. "The fact is that most prisoners will be released at some point and research shows that prisoners who find meaningful employment on release are less likely to re-offend,” says Mr Matthews.
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