Crime-free Through Real Work brochure

Employing someone with a criminal past can help them build a crime-free future. Corrections works with employers to understand the type of people they need, so we can match job seekers and meet future workforce demands. Crime-free through real work tells you more. Printed copies are available at our probation sites and prison visits centres.

Download the Crime-free through real work PDF, 1.1 MB


At Corrections, we help people in our care gain the skills, training and qualifications that prepare them for the workforce and give them a better chance of finding sustainable employment.

Employers who hire someone despite their offending history can help make a real difference to individuals, their families, and the wider community. Where appropriate and required, Corrections offers support to employers to ensure seamless reintegration of our people into the workforce.

Corrections also works with employers to understand the type of people they need, so we can match job seekers and meet future workforce demands.

Work experience

Our Release to Work scheme allows people in prison to work in regular jobs in the community during the day.

People in our care earn real wages, pay board to Corrections, and have to meet outstanding fines and other financial obligations. Remaining earnings are held until their release. The employer gains a worker with a strong work ethic, and the prisoners earn real pay, some valuable work experience and a chance to prove they are reliable. People on Release to Work are monitored to ensure public safety and may wear GPS technology to track their movements when travelling to and from the prison.

Getting work ready

The job seekers we work with come from all walks of life. Some already have skills and training that we can help them add to. Others need help with the basics like reading and maths.

Whether a person is in prison or serving a sentence in the community, we refer people in our care to suitable learning or training options. Some options are free and other costs may be met by government agencies.

We run learning modules focused on preparing people for work so they can develop the right attitudes, habits and communication skills.

Up to 70% of our people have difficulty reading and writing. We provide essential literacy and numeracy skills as part of our training programmes.

An increasing number go on to achieve nationally recognised qualifications such as the Level 2 National Certificate in Building, Construction and Allied Trade Skills (BCATS).

Education and training

Our qualified employment instructors work with our training partners to deliver training in the classroom and ‘on-the-job’ that prepares people for real jobs on leaving prison.

They can also work towards national accreditation in the NZ Qualifications Framework.

Corrections operates real life, businesslike operations in prisons to enable hands-on experience in a variety of industries including, manufacturing, technology, engineering, construction, service, farming, forestry and horticulture.

A pathway to employment

We try to get every offender on a pathway to employment.

We start by assessing each individual’s needs to identify their skills and the type of work they are suited to. We then support them to gain skills and qualifications from a range of programmes and develop their work readiness. The first step is to match them into real jobs or link them with employment support programmes to connect them to work and encourage sustainable employment.

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Returning to the workforce

A criminal conviction doesn’t have to mean losing paid work.

Where appropriate, Corrections will work with employers to ensure people are able to work in jobs that are safe for everyone. We check that the job allows the worker to meet the conditions of their sentence or order. This can mean sharing information with the employer and depending on the sentence, installing electronic monitoring equipment in the workplace. Where necessary, we ask employers to agree to some rules about when and where people on temporary release will work, and what to do if those rules are broken.

Did you know?

  • Release to Work employees receive the same rate as other employees with similar skills and experience, and use their wages to pay board to Corrections, any fines or reparation to victims and save for their release.
  • The majority of people in our care engage in employment, education and training, reintegrative and constructive activities for at least 40 hours per week.
  • Corrections employs over 350 instructors to help train people in prison.