Abstract
Research has consistently shown that gaining employment after release helps to reduce recidivism, but also that people who have been in prison face many barriers to finding secure employment. This article presents qualitative data from the experiences of 11 people who had been released from prison in the Australian Capital Territory. We focus on the challenges these participants encountered with obtaining employment post-release, including not having access to suitable housing, criminal background checks, managing post-release commitments (such as attending substance abuse rehabilitation appointments) and a lack of confidence in approaching potential employers. Consequently, we recommend that policymakers ensure that there is a dedicated specialised employment team within the custodial environment providing individualised support for both unsentenced and sentenced people, both while they are incarcerated and post-release.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 627-643 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Australian Journal of Social Issues |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 25 Nov 2021 |
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In: Australian Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 57, No. 3, 25.11.2021, p. 627-643.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘If I don't get a job in six months' time, I can see myself being back in there’
T2 - Post-prison employment experiences of people in Canberra
AU - Doyle, Caroline
AU - Yates, Sophie
AU - Bartels, Lorana
AU - Hopkins, Anthony
AU - Taylor, Helen
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Australian Social Policy Association. Funding Information: Three participants were actively looking for work at the time of interview. They felt they had strengths to offer employers, but faced significant barriers to employment. Carl, who had work experience in building and truck-driving, was in his forties and had been in prison more than once. He was in social housing and wanted to “live”, rather than just “survive”. Aaron, an Aboriginal man in his fifties, had spent many years in prison. He wanted to stay out of prison this time and felt that employment was the “only thing that will change” that. He had a debt to pay off, as a result of family members living in his social housing property and not paying rent while he was inside, but felt fortunate to have accommodation. He had a teenage son and wanted to avoid his son getting a criminal record: “Because basically it mucks you up…I don't want him doing what I'm doing”. Renee was in her thirties, living in transitional housing (for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless) and was attending rehabilitation programmes, while looking for work. She had also been in prison before and this time had found the post-release experience financially challenging, due to the expense of rehabilitation and transitional housing, combined with food and other bills: “I think that's why a lot of people do go back in, because jail is a breeze, to be honest. I've got to say it's a lot easier in there”. All three felt their strengths included drawing on their lived experience, to support other people in the criminal justice system. Carl had been doing volunteer work and felt he was “good at helping people and…a pretty good communicator”. He felt he would enjoy working somewhere like Prisoners Aid: “If I know the people, they know me, they know I'm not going to judge them”. Renee had previous experience in government and help-desk roles and felt she had marketable skills, such as problem-solving and customer service. She saw herself as “one of the lucky ones…that was able to turn my life around” and, given her experiences in the criminal justice system, would like to train as a case manager, “so that I can help people that have been in my position with addiction”. Aaron had approached an Indigenous business centre with his business plan, which had the objective of “teaching young fellas respect, how to make money without breaking the law”, and needed a $5000 start-up grant, but “they went ‘no, it's not a sustainable business plan’”. He was frustrated, because no Aboriginal people worked at the centre. He wanted to redo his business plan, because he saw the benefit of his lived experience in the criminal justice system and mentoring others:Because I reckon, if I can get it up and running and get some of those young fellas that's going into the AMC to go, listen, instead of sending them to the AMC, can you make them do this for about six months, eight months? Instead of sending him to jail. He can learn about his culture, and get the idea in his head no, I don't have to do crime to make money. I can do this. Because I reckon, if I can get it up and running and get some of those young fellas that's going into the AMC to go, listen, instead of sending them to the AMC, can you make them do this for about six months, eight months? Instead of sending him to jail. He can learn about his culture, and get the idea in his head no, I don't have to do crime to make money. I can do this. Carl, Aaron and Renee talked about the problems of disclosing a criminal record to employers. For Carl, “there's no way you want to disclose it to them. Why would you want anyone to know that?”, but “they're going to find out anyway”, which had happened to him before. Aaron had been asked about his criminal record in interviews and felt honesty was the best policy:That's what I was taught, never lie to your employer. Because he'll find out and you mightn't have a job. If you tell him straight upfront, he might go “yeah, well you told me upfront, you'll be honest with me, so I'll give you a start”. That's what I was taught, never lie to your employer. Because he'll find out and you mightn't have a job. If you tell him straight upfront, he might go “yeah, well you told me upfront, you'll be honest with me, so I'll give you a start”. However, an employment agency had suggested he avoid talking about his criminal record, telling him: “you don't have to say. You can say, ‘been in a bit of trouble’”. Aaron did not have a problem talking about his criminal history, but did feel a bit ashamed of how “thick” the folder would be. Renee also preferred being honest, but felt her record had led to her being “knocked back”:a lot of [potential employers] do police checks, and you know, honesty is the best policy. So you've got to be honest and say, “yes, I do have criminal history”, where you get knocked back a lot. a lot of [potential employers] do police checks, and you know, honesty is the best policy. So you've got to be honest and say, “yes, I do have criminal history”, where you get knocked back a lot. Renee wished she had been released into secure employment, because her financial situation was not good and, despite applying for “a fair few jobs”, she had significant problems finding work to fit in with her rehabilitation obligations: she was only allowed to work 15 h a week and had to attend at least three weekly meetings on different days and in different parts of the city. She felt that “it's almost not really worth [looking]…because it's a bit hard to go to an employer and go, ‘I can only work these days’”. She also had not worked since 2013 and felt an employment gap that long was a barrier. Although Carl was looking for work, he was not satisfied with his experience and prospects: “I'm not qualified for anything and I'm not much of a studier either”. He had worked in the building and transport industries, but “I can't see being, my life being defined by, I'll go and dig a hole”. For him, working went beyond financial benefits: “it's self-wellbeing. Like, a sense of self-worth”. He had no car and public transport was “limited”, but was willing to travel to employment opportunities on his push-bike and was dubious about people using lack of transport as an excuse not to “have a go”. Participants were 25–46 years old, with a median age of 43. Fifty-eight per cent had been on remand during their most recent incarceration, while one had been both on remand and sentenced. Nearly all (92 per cent) had previously spent time in prison, ranging from once to six times. To protect participants' identity, we do not provide specific information on the number of previous prison episodes and use pseudonyms. Three participants were employed at the time of interview. Sean, who was in his forties and had only been to prison once, saw himself as “pretty lucky” with his post-release experience. He owned his house and ran his own business. He did not encounter any issues with finding employment post-release; as a car spray-painting and panel-beating sub-contractor, he had “done their cars for 20 years”, so there was an established employment relationship to come back to. Over the coming months, Sean wanted to “just stay out of jail, that's my goal”. Ivan was in his fifties and had also not spent much time in prison before. He had not “had the real bad experiences a lot of guys would be having, getting released. I was lucky financially. But I can easily see how difficult it must be for some guys”. His biggest issue post-release was going through a stressful Family Court process, to be able to see his child. Ivan did not specify his job, but reported he had been working 3 or 4 days a week, which was not “as much as I usually do, but I'm OK for money”. Ivan felt his criminal record might be a barrier to further employment and might deter him from applying for some things: “[employers] want to know about your criminal record and things like that, get a police check. I don't even know if I'll get one now…Most people are just going to go ‘wow, you've been in jail for six months?’ You get painted with the same brush”. His criminal record might also have an impact on his “volunteer work…And now I've got a problem with my…working with vulnerable people, working with children, because I don't know if I can do that anymore”. Vivian, in her forties, had been in prison before and faced long-term drug addiction (“I was definitely one of those people who you would record and put on a crackhead video”), but has now been “clean solid” for 8 years. Vivian struggled with the fact that her children were not living with her, but felt “lucky”, because she got to see them on a weekly basis. She talked at length about her experience with applying for a job at a large retail chain, during which the issue of criminal history became very relevant. In the online application, she encountered a question about spent convictions:When I was confronted with those questions, I was like, I wish I could lie. Because it was changeable, I went no, no, yes, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no. Because it is, it's personally challenging. When I was confronted with those questions, I was like, I wish I could lie. Because it was changeable, I went no, no, yes, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no. Because it is, it's personally challenging. She felt that it would be much easier to disclose these things in a face-to-face interaction and hoped that a potential employer would listen to her story and appreciate that she had made changes to her life:I think if it came up in an interview, I wouldn't hide it, I would just say, “this is very personal”. And I would be like, “it's confidential as well”. I would hope that what I revealed was seen. This is how it is, take it or leave it, whatever you want to make from it. I think if it came up in an interview, I wouldn't hide it, I would just say, “this is very personal”. And I would be like, “it's confidential as well”. I would hope that what I revealed was seen. This is how it is, take it or leave it, whatever you want to make from it. Three participants were actively looking for work at the time of interview. They felt they had strengths to offer employers, but faced significant barriers to employment. Carl, who had work experience in building and truck-driving, was in his forties and had been in prison more than once. He was in social housing and wanted to “live”, rather than just “survive”. Aaron, an Aboriginal man in his fifties, had spent many years in prison. He wanted to stay out of prison this time and felt that employment was the “only thing that will change” that. He had a debt to pay off, as a result of family members living in his social housing property and not paying rent while he was inside, but felt fortunate to have accommodation. He had a teenage son and wanted to avoid his son getting a criminal record: “Because basically it mucks you up…I don't want him doing what I'm doing”. Renee was in her thirties, living in transitional housing (for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless) and was attending rehabilitation programmes, while looking for work. She had also been in prison before and this time had found the post-release experience financially challenging, due to the expense of rehabilitation and transitional housing, combined with food and other bills: “I think that's why a lot of people do go back in, because jail is a breeze, to be honest. I've got to say it's a lot easier in there”. All three felt their strengths included drawing on their lived experience, to support other people in the criminal justice system. Carl had been doing volunteer work and felt he was “good at helping people and…a pretty good communicator”. He felt he would enjoy working somewhere like Prisoners Aid: “If I know the people, they know me, they know I'm not going to judge them”. Renee had previous experience in government and help-desk roles and felt she had marketable skills, such as problem-solving and customer service. She saw herself as “one of the lucky ones…that was able to turn my life around” and, given her experiences in the criminal justice system, would like to train as a case manager, “so that I can help people that have been in my position with addiction”. Aaron had approached an Indigenous business centre with his business plan, which had the objective of “teaching young fellas respect, how to make money without breaking the law”, and needed a $5000 start-up grant, but “they went ‘no, it's not a sustainable business plan’”. He was frustrated, because no Aboriginal people worked at the centre. He wanted to redo his business plan, because he saw the benefit of his lived experience in the criminal justice system and mentoring others:Because I reckon, if I can get it up and running and get some of those young fellas that's going into the AMC to go, listen, instead of sending them to the AMC, can you make them do this for about six months, eight months? Instead of sending him to jail. He can learn about his culture, and get the idea in his head no, I don't have to do crime to make money. I can do this. Carl, Aaron and Renee talked about the problems of disclosing a criminal record to employers. For Carl, “there's no way you want to disclose it to them. Why would you want anyone to know that?”, but “they're going to find out anyway”, which had happened to him before. Aaron had been asked about his criminal record in interviews and felt honesty was the best policy:That's what I was taught, never lie to your employer. Because he'll find out and you mightn't have a job. If you tell him straight upfront, he might go “yeah, well you told me upfront, you'll be honest with me, so I'll give you a start”. However, an employment agency had suggested he avoid talking about his criminal record, telling him: “you don't have to say. You can say, ‘been in a bit of trouble’”. Aaron did not have a problem talking about his criminal history, but did feel a bit ashamed of how “thick” the folder would be. Renee also preferred being honest, but felt her record had led to her being “knocked back”:a lot of [potential employers] do police checks, and you know, honesty is the best policy. So you've got to be honest and say, “yes, I do have criminal history”, where you get knocked back a lot. Renee wished she had been released into secure employment, because her financial situation was not good and, despite applying for “a fair few jobs”, she had significant problems finding work to fit in with her rehabilitation obligations: she was only allowed to work 15 h a week and had to attend at least three weekly meetings on different days and in different parts of the city. She felt that “it's almost not really worth [looking]…because it's a bit hard to go to an employer and go, ‘I can only work these days’”. She also had not worked since 2013 and felt an employment gap that long was a barrier. Although Carl was looking for work, he was not satisfied with his experience and prospects: “I'm not qualified for anything and I'm not much of a studier either”. He had worked in the building and transport industries, but “I can't see being, my life being defined by, I'll go and dig a hole”. For him, working went beyond financial benefits: “it's self-wellbeing. Like, a sense of self-worth”. He had no car and public transport was “limited”, but was willing to travel to employment opportunities on his push-bike and was dubious about people using lack of transport as an excuse not to “have a go”. Five participants were not actively looking for work at the time of interview. Some were focusing on other areas of their lives, before they could realistically expect to hold down secure employment. James, Brian, Kevin and Michael were recovering from drug addiction. Brian, who was in his twenties and had been in prison a couple of times before, was keeping busy by attending day programmes and sponsor meetings, but not putting pressure on himself to find a job: “I'm not really concerned with Centrelink or jobs or anything like that. Right now, I'm just really focused on my recovery”. He also wanted to focus on being there for his partner and children and participating in reciprocal family relationships. He felt that, if he found a job and got income too early in his recovery, “I might find myself down the pub or down a dealer's place, getting on and getting back down the same path that led me to the first debt and landed me in jail”. On the other hand, he knew he needed employment to find “steady accommodation” to prevent recidivism. He saw the psychological benefit of having a job: “You're relying on yourself, you're not having to rely on a Centrelink benefit”, which can be quite “disheartening”: “I hate it. I really do. To be self-reliant is something to be proud of and can be quite motivating”. James, who was in his thirties and had been in and out of prison for the last 15 years, was also not currently in a place where he could look for work. He was “on a lot of medications… [including] a large dose of methadone”. In addition, his typical day post-release was focused on “trying to do the dad thing” for his children, who had been born while he was in prison. Michael was also on methadone treatment, had no top teeth due to previous drug use, and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was in his thirties and had been in prison before. His biggest post-release issue was having lost access to his daughter. He felt that having kids “gives you a reason to get up to work” and feared that, “if I don't get some sort of job in six months' time, I can see myself being back in”. He talked about the challenges with finding employment: “You go walking down the street and there's no signs in the window, like, ‘jobs vacant’”. He thought it would help if employers would be willing to give him a trial. Kevin was in his thirties and had been in prison before. The main thing he wanted to achieve over the next couple of months was “not go back to jail”, which “was the worst”, because “everything's taken out of your control”. He had ongoing “problems with drugs”, and one of the hardest things, post-release, had been complying with the requirement not to use drugs. Kevin wanted to try and find employment soon, “but I've got other things as well that I've got to sort of try and manage”. He felt he had “to get a better résumé”, because “coming out of jail, it's not easy to get a job”, since “most jobs, you've got [to] have your licence and your criminal record check or something”. By contrast, John had got a night cleaning job through a “mate from jail”, within three days of release. However, he did not consider it the right work for him and it paid far less than he was used to, so he had quit: “I was running myself ragged and not really making enough money”. He was in his forties, had been in prison before and was living in a motel after release. He had trade qualifications from prison, but felt he was getting older and they were not appropriate anymore, so he was completing online courses to “change my career path”. John had worked most of his life and felt he had “some strengths and a bit of knowledge”, which would help him with finding employment: “I know how to go about organising those kind of things and putting them in place, [it's] just getting off my butt and doing them. So, the motivation is the hard part”. Like Renee, John felt prison can be easier than outside, because prison is “like home away from home…A lot of guys have actually got it better there than they do out here…If they're out they're couch surfing…In there, you get your bed, you get your three meals”. John strongly felt the importance of employment for reducing recidivism: “probably one of the biggest things coming out of jail would be employment”. Kevin, John and Michael also identified the links between housing, employment and recidivism. Kevin had stayed with his mother upon release, but “that didn't turn out well”. His current accommodation had also made it hard for him to look for employment, because “it's pretty hard to sort of hold down a job with no stable accommodation”. Michael reflected that some “people get out and might not have anywhere to live, with no clothes…it's a very good chance they're going to have to…commit an offence”. Another significant challenge for some of these participants was anxiety and self-confidence. For Brian, the length of time since he had been in the workforce and thought of having to reveal his criminal record were “confronting”:Coming from jail back into the community, there can be a lot of unknowns I guess, or “what ifs?”, they can trigger as lot of anxiety for us…So having to approach someone and apply for a job, there's a big anxiety factor there for a lot of us, for me especially. And then also the look of someone being in jail…an employer turns around and says to me, “so what have you been doing with your life over the last 12 months?” And you say “jail”. Again, there's your anxiety flaring up. Coming from jail back into the community, there can be a lot of unknowns I guess, or “what ifs?”, they can trigger as lot of anxiety for us…So having to approach someone and apply for a job, there's a big anxiety factor there for a lot of us, for me especially. And then also the look of someone being in jail…an employer turns around and says to me, “so what have you been doing with your life over the last 12 months?” And you say “jail”. Again, there's your anxiety flaring up. James, who did not discuss his own job prospects, felt that “a lot of us…haven't done really well at school, didn't go very far at school…failed at a lot of things…there's no confidence there that they can achieve anything”. Similarly, Michael felt he used to have “plenty” of strengths in finding employment, as he had “worked for 10 years”, “but…like my self-esteem, it's just slowly, like, diminished over time”. Most participants reflected on the utility of the employment and education programmes offered in the AMC or had suggestions for improvement. Kevin, Brian and John felt the jobs on offer inside were not good preparation for work on the outside, although John and Brian saw the benefits of routine, structure and what Brian termed “self-encouragement”. Kevin commented on jobs such as cleaning windows or taking out the rubbish, which “[people] don't take really seriously anyway”:It's not like they would do [them] on the outside…It's only to get, a bit of money from the job and that's all it is…Some of them don't even do the jobs…They still get paid, they're assigned to do the job, but they don't do it, they just get the money in the account every week. It's not like they would do [them] on the outside…It's only to get, a bit of money from the job and that's all it is…Some of them don't even do the jobs…They still get paid, they're assigned to do the job, but they don't do it, they just get the money in the account every week. Brian felt AMC jobs did not meet “the level…that would be required in the community” and that:the skills I learned in the AMC definitely wouldn't help with the outside world…It feels like I'm back in the first-grade school. It's quite basic. Definitely nothing to gain for it on the outside world …And if I was to turn around to an employer and present the things that they gave me to present, it just wouldn't look so good. the skills I learned in the AMC definitely wouldn't help with the outside world…It feels like I'm back in the first-grade school. It's quite basic. Definitely nothing to gain for it on the outside world …And if I was to turn around to an employer and present the things that they gave me to present, it just wouldn't look so good. John felt detainees should get qualifications for the work they do:If we're going to do a job out there, at least get trained in it properly. If you're going to do cleaning, you're training them so they can walk into a cleaning job [outside]. Or if they're going to be in the kitchen, they get qualified for the time they're working… If we're going to do a job out there, at least get trained in it properly. If you're going to do cleaning, you're training them so they can walk into a cleaning job [outside]. Or if they're going to be in the kitchen, they get qualified for the time they're working… Renee had worked in the bakery, which “filled in” her days in the AMC. She said she found the bakery training “pretty good”, but that “it wasn't actually Corrective Services that trained us. It was, like, the girls that had been working there for a long period of time”. The AMC also provides educational programmes, although Michael noted there were lockdowns and other disruptions: “pretty much every week and you'll miss a day”. These programmes were not always seen as appropriate or useful, with Sean commenting: “it's just remedial stuff that they give in the programs in there. As in, it's one plus two”. John felt that “[Corrective Services] need to go a step further. Like… fundamental skills training or something. Just basic skills, like basic computer skills, basic literacy”. He had spent over 10 years in prison and had found it challenging to keep “up-to-date with technology…You come out and everything's electronic and digitalised”. He also felt the Certificate II courses offered in prison were inadequate, as these are “not going to get you a job, basically. They need to go a little bit further than that. Yeah, actually give you some tickets [licenses] for when you get out”. Carl also saw opportunities to improve training for employment post-release, reflecting that job-readiness programmes were lacking: “They don't do any courses, where they come [and show] skills to go into the workforce. What to say or to do”. James would have found it helpful to have “goal-setting” programmes, which would help with addressing the self-confidence issues mentioned by several participants. He felt that “therapeutical” programmes inside the AMC could help with “building people's confidence… something where they can help people think, hang on, just because you've got this really bad, extensive criminal history, you can get jobs, you can do this, you can do that”. Programmes are also needed that extend beyond release: Carl, Michael and John felt one of the strongest supports would be to actually connect detainees to jobs pre-release. As Carl reflected:having an agency for prisoners, only prisoners, and trying to get employers to take them on…while they're still in there and when they come out, when they go to the job, they know they've been in jail and they're going to give them a go. having an agency for prisoners, only prisoners, and trying to get employers to take them on…while they're still in there and when they come out, when they go to the job, they know they've been in jail and they're going to give them a go. Michael appeared frustrated about the lack of support in finding employment post-release and wanted employers to give him a trial: “they're spending so much money in jails, why can't they just…Surely there's something they could do”. For John, “it'd just be so much better for guys if they got out, they…could walk into a job or even on-the-job train…have something to keep them going, where they're distracted and they're not sitting around on their butt all day…using drugs”. He felt that if people had accommodation and a job, they would have “no reason to go back to their old lifestyle”. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Australian Social Policy Association.
PY - 2021/11/25
Y1 - 2021/11/25
N2 - Research has consistently shown that gaining employment after release helps to reduce recidivism, but also that people who have been in prison face many barriers to finding secure employment. This article presents qualitative data from the experiences of 11 people who had been released from prison in the Australian Capital Territory. We focus on the challenges these participants encountered with obtaining employment post-release, including not having access to suitable housing, criminal background checks, managing post-release commitments (such as attending substance abuse rehabilitation appointments) and a lack of confidence in approaching potential employers. Consequently, we recommend that policymakers ensure that there is a dedicated specialised employment team within the custodial environment providing individualised support for both unsentenced and sentenced people, both while they are incarcerated and post-release.
AB - Research has consistently shown that gaining employment after release helps to reduce recidivism, but also that people who have been in prison face many barriers to finding secure employment. This article presents qualitative data from the experiences of 11 people who had been released from prison in the Australian Capital Territory. We focus on the challenges these participants encountered with obtaining employment post-release, including not having access to suitable housing, criminal background checks, managing post-release commitments (such as attending substance abuse rehabilitation appointments) and a lack of confidence in approaching potential employers. Consequently, we recommend that policymakers ensure that there is a dedicated specialised employment team within the custodial environment providing individualised support for both unsentenced and sentenced people, both while they are incarcerated and post-release.
KW - employment
KW - post release
KW - prison
KW - recidivism
KW - reintegration
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120607142&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ajs4.197
DO - 10.1002/ajs4.197
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85120607142
SN - 0157-6321
VL - 57
SP - 627
EP - 643
JO - Australian Journal of Social Issues
JF - Australian Journal of Social Issues
IS - 3
ER -