Vocational education and training for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia Research readings h c r Edited by a Susan Dawe e s e r Publisher’s note To find other material of interest, search VOCED (the UNESCO/NCVER international database <http://www.voced.edu.au>) using the following keywords: adult prisoners, offenders, education, correctional education, vocational training, corrective services, transition from prison to community. © Australian Government, 2007 This work has been produced by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Requests should be made to NCVER. The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author/ project team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government, state and territory governments or NCVER. The National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program is coordinated and managed by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments with funding provided through the Department of Education, Science and Training. This program is based upon priorities approved by ministers with responsibility for vocational education and training (VET). This research aims to improve policy and practice in the VET sector. For further information about the program go to the NCVER website <http://www.ncver.edu.au>. Research readings are comprised of a collection of selected research papers on a particular topic of interest. ISBN 978 1 921170 81 2 print edition 978 1 921170 87 4 web edition TD/TNC 91.04 Published by NCVER ABN 87 007 967 311 Level 11, 33 King William Street, Adelaide SA 5000 PO Box 8288 Station Arcade, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia ph +61 8 8230 8400 fax +61 8 8212 3436 email [email protected] <http://www.ncver.edu.au> <http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1789.html> Vocational education and training for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia Research readings Edited by Susan Dawe Publisher’s note To find other material of interest, search VOCED (the UNESCO/NCVER international database <http://www.voced.edu.au>) using the following keywords: adult prisoners, offenders, education, correctional education, vocational training, corrective services, transition from prison to community. © Australian Government, 2007 This work has been produced by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Requests should be made to NCVER. The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author/ project team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government, state and territory governments or NCVER. The author/project team were funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program. These grants are awarded to organisations through a competitive process, in which NCVER does not participate. The NVETRE program is coordinated and managed by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments with funding provided through the Department of Education, Science and Training. This program is based upon priorities approved by ministers with responsibility for vocational education and training (VET). This research aims to improve policy and practice in the VET sector. For further information about the program go to the NCVER website <http://www.ncver.edu.au>. Research readings are comprised of a collection of selected research papers on a particular topic of interest. ISBN 978 1 921170 81 2 print edition 978 1 921170 87 4 web edition TD/TNC 91.04 Published by NCVER ABN 87 007 967 311 Level 11, 33 King William Street, Adelaide SA 5000 PO Box 8288 Station Arcade, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia ph +61 8 8230 8400 fax +61 8 8212 3436 email [email protected] <http://www.ncver.edu.au> <http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1789.html> Foreword This book was commissioned by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) and forms part of the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program, funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. This book of readings will be of particular interest to policy-makers, employers and community service groups who are committed to helping prisoners and offenders re-integrate into the community after release from custody. It will also appeal to practitioners and administrators in educational institutions and other training organisations who work within and outside the correctional system to provide training for prisoners and offenders. It provides clear directions on what works for adult prisoners and offenders and demonstrates recent improvements in the delivery of vocational education and training in Australian prisons to enhance sustainable employment opportunities for ex-prisoners. This book represents a collaborative effort between the corrective services systems in Australia and NCVER. Time and effort put in by the different researchers and staff in the government departments responsible for corrective services and vocational education and training in the states and territories are greatly appreciated. Tom Karmel Managing Director, NCVER Contents Introduction 7 Susan Dawe What the research says: 18 International research and trends in education and training provision in correctional settings 19 Raymond Chavez and Susan Dawe The role of VET in recidivism in Australia 34 Victor Callan and John Gardner Ex-prisoners and ex-offenders and the employment connection: Assistance plus acceptance 47 Joe Graffam and Lesley Hardcastle The role of education and training in prison to work transitions 67 Margaret Giles, Anh Tram Le, Maria Allan, Catherine Lees, Ann-Claire Larsen and Lyn Bennett Should education and vocational training be compulsory in corrections? 78 Peter de Graaff ImprovIng vet for adult prIsoners and offenders In australIa: 91 The provision of VET for adult prisoners in Australia 92 Sian Halliday Wynes Contents  Using research to inform practice: Western Australian correctional education 121 Christine Laird, Raymond Chavez and Melanie Zan Throughcare and VET for adult prisoners and offenders within the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services 139 Karen Banfield, Steve Barlow and David Gould Improving VET for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia 1 Sian Halliday Wynes Improving literacy for adult prisoners and offenders 177 Bernard Meatheringham, Pamela Snow, Martine Powell, and Michael Fewster Education and training for Indigenous people in prisons 204 Cydde Miller Contributors 23 Glossary of terms 240 6 VET for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia: Research readings Introduction Susan Dawe Background It is more than five years since the first National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) review on the topic of vocational education and training (VET) in Australian correctional institutions (Semmens & Oldfield 1999). More recently, a chapter on prisoners (Noonan 2004) was included in Equity in vocational education and training: Research readings edited by Kaye Bowman. Following that publication, NCVER agreed to commission this current book to review VET for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia. The readings in this book examine the role of vocational education and training in the rehabilitation of adult prisoners and offenders, and demonstrate how recent improvements in VET delivery have led to better outcomes for adult prisoners and offenders. This book comprises five chapters on international and Australian research on adult prisoners and offenders, and six chapters on improving delivery of VET for adult prisoners and offenders in the Australian context. Included in the latter are chapters about literacy and oral language competency and Indigenous-specific programs and initiatives. The 1996 Report of the Inquiry into Education and Training in Correctional Facilities (Senate Employment, Education and Training References Committee 1996) supported the integration of offender education and training with the national VET system. Following this, the Australian National Training Authority1 (ANTA) developed a national VET strategy for prisoners (people in full-time custody) and offenders under community-based orders.2 The National Strategy for Vocational Education and Training for Adult Prisoners and Offenders in Australia (ANTA 2001) was endorsed by all state and territory government departments responsible for VET and those responsible for correctional services. More recently, the Corrective Services Administrators’ 1 The Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) was abolished in 2005 and its responsibilities taken over by the Department of Education, Science and Training. 2 Community-based orders include non-custodial sanctions (including unpaid community work components, personal development program attendance, or home detention restrictions). Introduction 7 Committee endorsed Rebuilding lives: VET for prisoners and offenders (Corrective Services Administrators’ Committee 2006), the implementation framework for 2006–10. The vision of the national strategy is ‘to provide adult prisoners and offenders with educational and vocational pathways which will support their productive contribution to the economic and social life of the community’ (ANTA 2001, p.3). The strategy consists of four objectives considered to be critical to the continuing development of and support for vocational education and training of offenders: 1 To improve access to vocational education and training for adult prisoners and offenders 2 To support successful participation and attainment across a range of fields of study and levels of vocational education and training 3 To contribute to the employment and learning pathways which can support the successful re-integration of offenders into the community 4 To create an accountable system that provides quality vocational education and training outcomes for offenders3 (ANTA 2001). This current book of readings aims to investigate the implementation of this strategy by providing an update on how each jurisdiction is improving VET delivery and outcomes for adult prisoners and offenders. We begin with a brief profile of correctional services and VET provision in Australia. Correctional services in Australia The Australian Constitution of 1901 established a federal system of government. The Constitution defines the boundaries of law-making powers between the national government (the Commonwealth) and the government of the states or territories. Correctional services remained the responsibility of the state governments, and so correctional systems have developed independently of each other. The names of the government department responsible for adult prisoners in each jurisdiction in Australia are listed in table 1. The department of corrective services (or its equivalent) in each jurisdiction may deliver services directly, purchase them through contractual arrangements, or operate a combination of both arrangements. There are no federal prisons in Australia and prisoners sentenced under federal legislation are accommodated within the jurisdiction in which they are sentenced. The objectives of correctional services in Australia are to provide: v a safe, secure and humane custodial environment v effective community corrections environment v program interventions to reduce the risk of re-offending (Productivity Commission 2007). 3 Updated in 2006 to read ‘To promote quality and accountability of the system’ (Corrective Services Administrators’ Committee 2006). 8 VET for adult prisoners and offenders in Australia: Research readings