Research

Summary page

Research

To train or not to train: The role of education and training in prison to work transitions

The main aim of this project was to examine the education/training and work experiences of prisoners before and during their current term of imprisonment. This project also studied the factors affecting prisoners’ decisions to take on education/training or work during their stay in prison, and what prisoners think about their future employment and income opportunities.

Adult prisoners in a number of prisons in Perth were invited to participate in this study. A total of 453 interviews with sentenced prisoners were completed. The types of data collected include personal information (such as age and gender), past work history (such as jobs and hours of work), past education and training experiences (such as highest level of schooling), prison information (such as current sentence length and current offences), and current prison education/training and/ or work participation (such as type of training and hours of work). A series of attitudinal questions which comprise an optimism index was also included. The index used is called the ‘life orientation test’. A higher score on this index denotes a higher level of optimism.

Prisoners lead busy lives. Many are working in commercial or domestic jobs in the prison system. Some are working and studying. A handful of prisoners are studying but not working. In the Western Australian prison system, these differences result from choices made by prisoners within the constraints of the individual management plans developed when they enter prison, their prison jobs and course availability, and taking into account their work and study backgrounds.

Prison education/training is more than just a ‘time filler’. In metropolitan adult prisons in Western Australia, about half of sampled prisoners report their involvement in studies ranging from short courses to complete industry-recognised qualifications at vocational education and training (VET) and higher education levels. Prisoners are able to upgrade their skills, including completing the schooling they did not receive as children, as well as undertaking further studies up to the postgraduate level. Many see their studies as an exit from low-wage employment, particularly those taking up VET and VET-type training courses. They also value the contacts this education and training brings with people from ‘outside’.

Most prisoners also engage in work, primarily as a result of the financial incentive of gratuities. However, this work has traditionally been seen as a prison management tool to occupy prisoners during the day rather than for the purpose of up-skilling poorly qualified prisoners. Most of the work prisoners undertake is tied to the maintenance of prisons (for example, cooking, cleaning and gardening). Nevertheless, cleaning and catering are currently two areas of employment growth in Western Australia. Some prison work is commercially based and offers specific skills training with employment potential. This work is in metals, furniture production, meat processing, building and construction and warehousing. Jobs in these industries have been shown to be easily accessible to ex-offenders.

Overall, prison work, even that involving commercial endeavours, is not seen by prisoners as being an entry to a career outside the prison. Studying has more value for prisoners anticipating their post-release labour market futures than prison work, and some new initiatives utilising New Apprenticeships seem to be acting as agents for change. Those prisoners undertaking training, including New Apprenticeships, expect better labour market futures (work, more enjoyable work and more money) than those who are undertaking non-vocational education courses and/or work. Given that many prisoners have poor levels of educational attainment prior to their incarceration, providing them with tangible, job-focused skills appears to be a useful initiative, and one which appeals to the prisoners themselves. This presages well for the success of such programs.

Summary of findings

This study has found that prisoners who are less likely to be studying:

are males
are Australian-born
attended government secondary schooling and/or
have prior prison sentences.

Those prisoners more likely to be studying:

have children
have education above Year 10
have worked in the five years prior to the current prison term
have already completed a trade qualification and/or completed another educational qualification.

The study suggests that preferences by violent offenders might change as their release dates came closer (see footnote). For example, about one-third of violent offenders who are within five years of release are studying.

Prisoners less likely to expect good work prospects following their current training course in prison:

are males
are working in prison industries
are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent
have a level of educational attainment beyond Year 10
have attended government secondary schools
have been in prison previously and/or
had an occupation prior to prison of manager/professional/associate professional.

The most serious current offence for this group involved drugs, money or property.

Expectations of good work prospects following training decrease with age, and increase with increasing life orientation test scores and length of current prison term.

Prisoners less likely to expect good work prospects following non-training studies:

are males
are working in prison industries
are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent
have highest level of educational attainment beyond Year 10
have attended government secondary schools and/or
have prior occupations of manager/professional/associate professional.

Prisoners more likely to expect good work prospects following their non-training studies:

have Year 11 or higher educational attainment
have the most serious current offence involving drugs, money or property and/or
have been in prison before.

In addition, expectations of good work prospects deteriorated with increasing life orientation test scores and improved with age and longer prison terms.

Prisoners less likely to expect good job prospects as a result of working in the prison:

are males
are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
have education above Year 10 and/or
have the most serious current offence involving drugs, money or property.

Prisoners more likely to expect good job prospects as a result of working in the prison:

are those working in prison industries/commercial services
have attended government secondary schools
have been in prison before and/or
have had an occupation in the five years prior to the current prison terms of manager, professional/associate professional.

Moreover, expectations of good work prospects deteriorated with age and increasing life orientation test scores and improved with longer prison terms.

In summary, the results show that males and prisoners of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are less likely to expect good work prospects irrespective of their in-prison activity. Furthermore, the expectation of good work prospects decreased with increasing life orientation test scores and improved with age and longer prison terms, irrespective of whether they were undertaking training or non-training study or work. However, the sample over-represented prisoners who were female or who had higher levels of educational attainment (Year 11 or above). Indigenous prisoners and those in maximum security prisons were under-represented. No data were collected from regional prisons.

An interesting result is that the life orientation test score is not a significant predictor of the expectation of good work prospects. Expectation is based on other factors and not significantly influenced by a person’s tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic.

Other issues were related to the extent to which prisoners take up education and training opportunities, including the availability of course places and their perceptions of their previous education and training experiences. Restrictions on study options, such as access to the internet and telephone, were related to security concerns, and may also affect their ability to study, as would transfer to another prison during the course.

Education and training in Western Australian prisons is undertaken voluntarily. The Western Australian Department of Justice’s Education and Vocational Training Unit ensures that courses are made widely available, and also that these courses are rewarding for prisoners and meet their needs. Access to education and training in prisons needs to be flexible and coordinated.

In Western Australia, each prisoner’s individual management plan is reviewed periodically—every three to six months—to monitor progress and change if required. Many prisoners regularly participate in training which they did not contemplate when their individual management plan was first developed. Importantly, the original individual management plan does not preclude a prisoner from being able to participate in education or training, even if they are required to undertake court-mandated courses; for example, in anger management or substance abuse.

When this study was conducted, the allocation of higher gratuities favoured prison work over education and training. The study was unable to show the extent to which this inequity was influencing prisoner choices for education/training and work. The gratuity system is being overhauled in Western Australia, including the removal of the practice noted above. An appraisal of the study/work choice decision after the introduction of a new gratuity system would be a valuable complement to the current study.

One of the difficulties faced by ex-prisoners attempting to break free from the cycles of recidivism and poverty is the stigma of a criminal record. Their employment options are limited to those occupations for which a criminal record is not a recruitment barrier. Issues of broken employment and homelessness can also adversely affect their success in the labour market.

For policy-makers, the chief questions should not be restricted to: ‘What can we do for prisoners during incarceration?’ but, just as importantly: ‘What can be done for ex-offenders struggling to build meaningful lives in the community?’ The answers do not lie with correctional authorities alone. Other government agencies, non-government organisations and private industry, should share the responsibility and challenge of building on the beneficial education and training programs undertaken in prisons.

Footnote
There is a significant difference between violent (offences against people) and non-violent offenders in terms of their education, training and work choices and how many years remain of their sentence. For example, about one-third of violent offenders who are within five years of their release are studying, compared with 40% of non-violent offenders. About 80% of violent offenders who have more than five years remaining of their current sentence are studying, compared with 50% of non-violent offenders.