Department of Corrective Services

A community re-entry for prisoners program has been designed to cut crime by helping offenders re-establish themselves in the community after leaving prison.

The program helps offenders integrate back into the community after release from prison. It includes services to meet their needs for: accommodation; mental health; drug treatment and counselling; family relationships; and education, training and employment.

The program relies on establishing and maintaining ongoing partnerships with both Government and non-government agencies.

Key components of the community re-entry for prisoners program include:

• Community Re-entry Coordination Service;
• Transitional Accommodation and Support Service;
• Justice mediation service;
• Comprehensive drug management;
• Building stronger family relationships;
• Managing people with mental health issues;
• Legislative reform; and
• Education, training and employment support.

Eight community groups in metropolitan and regional WA have been appointed to provide support to offenders for up to three months before leaving prison and six months after. The program:

• improves links to education, training and employment;
• provides links to accommodation options;
• has valuable partnerships with services in the community to support prisoners and their families by linking them with community organisations;
• uses baseline data to inform the planning, service design and delivery to reduce re-offending; and
• incorporates a monitoring and evaluation plan, which assesses the effectiveness of the re-entry strategies.

The agencies appointed to provide prisoner support in the community include:

Thirty-three homes have been made available to house ex-prisoners when they first leave prison - 22 in metropolitan Perth and 11 in regional areas.

While housed in transitional accommodation, ex-prisoners are supported to:

• maintain their tenancy by managing rent payments and other outgoings, maintaining the property to appropriate standards and managing the behavior of occupants and visitors;
• comply with community release orders, education and vocational training courses, employment placements or recreational activities;
• develop and maintain skills to increase social and community support networks;
• increase social networks by developing and maintaining appropriate relationships with friends and family, where possible;
• increase support networks by engaging local government agencies, community services and local community activities;
• acquire permanent accommodation by the end of the transitional period; and
• successfully integrate into the community.

The agencies appointed by the Department to provide this support include:

A pilot mediation program has been introduced in the Perth Court of Petty Sessions' Court 37 and several regional courts, which allows a magistrate hearing a case can refer the matter directly to a mediation officer in the court, before sentencing.

This can help divert offenders away from the prison system as well as to involve the victim in the sentencing process. About 30% of mediation referrals have led to a mediated outcome between victims and offenders.

This program aims to reduce offender drug use, the associated drug harm and re-offending. It includes reducing the supply of, and demand for, drugs in the prison system. Initiatives have included a review of pharmacotherapies, additional treatment programs for high-risk offenders and two new drug free units.

Prisoners whose family relationships break down during their time in custody, are more likely to re-offend on release. The Department is working to increase the frequency and quality of family visits, and provide a family friendly environment in prisons.

An estimated 15% of prisoners have a severe mental illness, three to five times higher than in the general community. The Department has formed a taskforce to develop and implement improved services for people in the criminal justice system suffering mental health issues.

New legislation has been introduced that ensures a bigger range of options is available especially for short-term, minor offenders. Options include day release for employment interviews or to make arrangements for housing in preparation for release.

Education and training in prisons is designed boost employment opportunities for prisoners leaving prison. This program aims to increase literacy and numeracy skills, enable prisoners to gain skills more relevant to the workforce and provide support during prisoners' move from prison to the community.