Australian prison vocational education and training and returns to custody among male and female ex-prisoners: A cross-jurisdictional study

Jesse Cale,Margaret Giles,Eileen Baldry,Sharon Casey,Andrew Day,David Bright,Jo Wodak

doi:10.1177/0004865818779418

Abstract

The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting on returns to custody among Australian adult prisoners from selected jurisdictions. Vocational education and training, education, and behavioural change programme participation in custody and demographic and risk assessment data were provided by correctional services in four Australian states for 10,834 Australian prisoners released from custody in 2010–2011. This information was used to predict returns to custody by 2015–2016. Overall, the results showed that participating in vocational education and training in custody contributed to the likelihood of remaining custody free at two and five years post-release for both male and female prisoners. However, for males the relationship was moderated by risk level. These findings are discussed in the context of developing vocational education and training in prison settings to address the specific needs of individuals and expectation of the wider community.

Highlights

The Australian prisoner population is growing rapidly with increases of 40% over the past five years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017)
The findings from the current study provide some evidence that in Australia vocational education and training (VET) in custody does assist male and female prisoners to remain custody free post-release
VET and education were found to have a positive impact on recidivism at both two and five years post-release, but risk level did not moderate the impact of VET participation on post-release recidivism outcomes

Summary

Introduction

The Australian prisoner population is growing rapidly with increases of 40% over the past five years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Across Australian correctional jurisdictions approximately three-quarters of all sentenced prisoners (excluding unsentenced/remanded prisoners) who are eligible to work participate in some form of prison work and/or vocational education and training (VET) (Productivity Commission, 2017) These programmes provide some level of vocational training that, wherever possible, leads to the award of a qualification that improves post-release employability and, as a result, contributes to the rehabilitative goals of correctional services. They are based on the assumption that finding employment post-release is key to the development of non-offending pathways. For Coyle (2009), ‘finding a way of earning a living is the most important part of a prisoner’s ability to reintegrate into society on release from prison’ (p. 89)

Methods

Results

Conclusion