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FORUM on Corrections Research
Vocational Education in New South Wales: Its Usefulness to Parolees
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A survey of 80 parolees who participated in vocational education courses in correctional institutions in
New South Wales (Australia) has revealed that although the work obtained by participants after release
was unskilled (as it had been before imprisonment), vocational education appeared to have helped provide
job-specific and more general skills. An initial sample of 179 parolees was randomly selected from class lists of inmates who had enroled in vocational courses in New South Wales institutions and had been released on parole at least three months prior to the study. The subjects' records did not contain sufficient information to distinguish between those who had merely enroled and those who had partially or fully completed the vocational courses. From the initial sample of 179 parolees, structured interviews were successfully conducted with 80 subjects. Information was gathered on the subjects' employment patterns before, during, and after incarceration, and on education, vocational guidance needs, and demographic characteristics. Subjects in this study were not necessarily representative of the inmate population of New South Wales as they were more likely to be married and to have dependents. The parolees in this study may thus have been more motivated to participate in vocational training and to obtain employment upon release. Past Employment and Education The study first examined the vocational background of subjects in the sample: 47% had worked in unskilled or semiskilled occupations; 23% had some type of trade; and the remaining subjects were fairly evenly divided among clerical, professional and managerial, and self-employed positions. The majority of jobs held by parolees (88%) were full-time positions. At the actual time of arrest, however, 43% of parolees in the sample were unemployed. Most had not worked for at least six months. While the offenders gave various reasons for their unemployment, only two of the 80 subjects cited a lack of qualifications. With respect to their educational background, most of the subjects had attended secondary school; one third had completed the School Certificate, and a further 23% had obtained the Higher School Certificate. Just over one quarter had completed some sort of training or obtained some qualifications, such as a trade or technical college certificate or a business course, after leaving school and before going to prison. Correctional Education Correctional institutions in New South Wales offer a variety of educational, vocational, and recreational courses. The interviews revealed that the subjects (who were selected on the basis of participation in courses) had attended an average of 2.5 courses, most of them technical-certificate or trade courses. Recreational courses were also popular. More than half the sample, however, had attempted only one type of course. The main reason that subjects cited for their participation in the courses was to improve their chances of obtaining employment upon release. Almost three quarters of the parolees believed the courses they undertook would help them upon release, and the majority of these expected the course to lead directly to a job. Others, however, reported that they had expected, even before release, that the courses would not help them. The reasons given for this perception were that some institutional courses did not offer the practical experience necessary to satisfactorily complete the course; that a prison record would limit their chances of obtaining work; that the necessary tools were not available; and that the subject's sentence length would prevent completion of the course. Subjects were asked whether the courses actually helped them obtain work on release. Almost one third of the sample stated that the courses did help them obtain work, namely by providing direct work experience. Courses that were most frequently considered useful included welding, carpentry, remedial English, and small business management. More than half the sample had not looked for work related to the vocational course they had taken. Commenting on other benefits of education received in prison (outside of learning the specific subject matter of the course), many parolees mentioned that participation in the course had increased their confidence in their ability to find a job and to communicate effectively with others. Some stated that participation in courses at community facilities had helped bridge the gap between institutional life and the outside community. Institutional Work Most jobs (41%) held by parolees in the institution were unskilled. Only 10 subjects indicated that they had worked to supplement their courses or to gain experience and practical training for future job prospects. In fact, most subjects reported that their prison jobs had been assigned to them. Almost half the parolees felt that they did not gain any new skills from the jobs performed in the institution, mainly because the work was too basic and inefficient to teach them anything new and because the jobs were not considered worth pursuing on the outside. However, others reported that their prison work helped them get used to a regular job and regular work hours, gave them confidence and satisfaction, taught them household skills, and allowed them to maintain previously acquired skills. Postrelease Experience Although 84% of the parolees had participated in vocational courses that could upgrade their work skills, nearly half did not expect to obtain skilled work upon release. At the time of the. interview, 95% of the parolees had at least sought employment since their release (the average time since release was 19 months). Of these, one third said they encountered no problems in their most parolees obtained work through relatives or friends rather than through formal job-search procedures. Of those who did experience problems in obtaining work, the principal obstacles cited were a prison record (27%), high unemployment (15%), age (13%), lack of experience or work history (13%), interview problems (12%), and difficulties in finding suitable work (7%). Notably, only 9% considered lack of qualifications to be a problem in obtaining work upon release. It therefore appears that the full utilization of the skills provided by vocational education may be inhibited by problems associated with the fact that the offender has spent time in prison. The vast majority (88%) of parolees had found work by the time of the interview, most within one month of their release. However, only 65% were still employed at the time of the study; this unemployment rate of 35% is much higher than that of the overall population. In general, the types of job held by subjects before imprisonment and after release were similar: the majority were involved in unskilled work. Just over half of all the jobs obtained by the parolees after release were unskilled. Semiskilled and trade jobs were the next most common types. Attitudes Toward Release Preparation Half the subjects felt they did not need any type of advice on release. Of the remaining subjects, half would have liked advice on the outside economic situation, particularly the difficulties of obtaining work and the additional work restrictions they would face because of their criminal record. Subjects reported needing skills in filling out application forms and writing resumes, preparing for interviews, and accessing outside resources for offenders. Conclusion The study findings indicate that, from the parolees' perspective, vocational education in New South Wales corrections has some positive effects, namely the learning of skills useful in obtaining work and the building of self-esteem and confidence. Vocational courses were also considered useful in bridging the gap between life in the institution and life in the community. Participation in courses at outside facilities and in a work-release program were thought to be particularly helpful in the transition from incarceration to freedom, as they allowed a period of controlled adjustment to release status. Nearly one third of the sample reported that the courses had helped them directly in obtaining employment. Furthermore, a majority of the sample thought that the courses could help them obtain work, even if at the time of the interview they had not yet found any employment. The results do not indicate any marked change, however, in the quality of the parolees' pre- and post-imprisonment work. After release, most subjects were employed in full-time, unskilled work, as they had been prior to incarceration. Furthermore, there were indications that some parolees' needs were not met by the vocational courses. The major need was for general information about the employment and economic situation in the community and the effects of this situation on the parolees' qualifications and job prospects. The majority of subjects also wanted practical advice about the job-search process. The findings further suggest that parolees need practical advice not only about finding a job, but also about keeping a job. The subjects' low employment rate (65%) was not attributable to failure to find a job, as most parolees obtained work within the first few months following release; rather, it may be the result of failure to keep a job or failure to find a rewarding job - one worth keeping. Gorta, A., & Panaretos, H. (1990). Parolee Perspectives on Prison Education and Work Programs. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 23, 1-14. |
