When the Prisoner Comes Home
REPORT ON PRISON FELLOWSHIP CONFERENCE – May 11 – 13, 2007
The focus of this conference was re-integration of released prisoners into society. In some ways, it was a follow-up to last year’s conference – “Beyond Retributionâ€.
The numbers in our prisons have now reached a record of over 8,000, but 9,000 prisoners are released back into the community every year. How can we help make it possible for them not to reoffend?
The conference began with a mihi to the Minister of Corrections, the Hon Damien O’Connor. That was followed by the Minister’s speech, a progress report on “Effective Interventions†in the lives of prison inmates. There certainly seems a political will to work for prisoner rehabilitation and increase treatment programmes, as well as to keep less serious offenders out of prison, but the government can work only as fast as public opinion permits. Nevertheless we were assured of a commitment to make meaningful changes.
For all that, the prison system itself, however enlightened it may eventually become, cannot re-integrate prisoners into the community. There is certainly a need for individual sentence plans for each prisoner, for thorough health checks, for drug and alcohol treatment, for programmes in literacy and more general education as well as employment skills and other activities.
But for me, the most important message of the conference was that prisoners are released into a community, and without the participation of the community, reintegration cannot be successful.
We heard about a number of community initiatives, and also of the experience of former prison inmates.
Kim Workman, the National Director of Prison Fellowship New Zealand, told us about the Fellowship’s contribution in the successful Faith-Based Unit at Rimutaka Prison. Operation Jericho is a programme that has Christians going into the prison and becoming mentors to prisoners, getting to know them in prison, and staying alongside them upon their release. The programme has a restorative justice component that has proved very helpful to victims as well as offenders.
Kim pointed out the need for informal support systems, and for engagement with the philanthropic sector and the business sector to provide employment for ex-prisoners.
An Englishwoman, Anne Burleigh, told us of a philanthropic foundation that funded the ‘Inside-Out Trust’ that runs charity workshops using prisoners, who, for example, translate books into Braille, renovate wheelchairs that are sent to the third world, and make furniture which is also given away. The scheme provides prisoners with skills as well as increasing their interaction with the community, fostering an interest in the needs of others.
Dr Shadd Maruna, Reader in Criminology at Queens University, Belfast shared some of the learnings from his research into what makes people stop offending – basically having ‘a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life’.
His three presentations all provided a strong foundation for the practical experience that was described by the other presenters.
Our other overseas presenter was the Australian, Arthur Bolkas, a former prisoner, who is director of ‘Lives in Transition’ programme at Barwon Prison in Victoria. He spoke of ‘The pain of imprisonment’, giving an insight into his own experience of prison. He described a totalitarian regime of absolute power and control, of total deprivation, of being stripped of everything.
For him, the answer to re-integration is ‘fix the family’ so the prisoner can come home. Prison damages relationships outside prison, and families suffer the stigma. Children of prisoners are the most marginalised and deprived. He talked about the need for meaning and hope.
A father and son team spoke of their experience of prison, when, in 1970, the solicitor father was imprisoned for embezzling funds to feed a gambling habit. Society continued to punish this man after his release, and more than 30 years later, there are lawyers he trained with, who look the other way if they see him in the street. He commented that ‘society seldom forgives and never forgets’
Jackie Katounis spoke of the benefits of Restorative Justice programmes run by Prison Fellowship in prisons. She believes many prisoners and victims could benefit if there was funding for more of these programmes.
John Whitty, National Director of NZPARS [Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Society] spoke of the Society’s work throughout the country, establishing a working relationship with prisoners that can carry on after release. He spoke of the high risk period immediately after release, of the need for post-release accommodation, and the importance of maintaining family relationships. There have to be strong networks of community support services for reintegration – which begins after release.
In one of the Reflections on the first day, John Pratt, Professor of Criminology at Victoria University, offered a comment on the $290 million spent on the new Otago Corrections Facility, pointing out how many people are working for nothing in restoration and reintegration. Surely more money could be spent on prevention and education – a far more productive use of funds.
On the second day, we heard more about New Zealand experiences of prisoner reintegration.
These included the Pathway Trust in Christchurch, which gives former prisoners a safe place to live, help to make life changes, and employment. Their successful programme has high costs and no government funding, but they are working towards self-sufficiency.
Operation Jericho is a Prison Fellowship initiative within the faith-based Unit, but also taking referrals from Work and Income. It is a mentor-based system, providing on-going support for prisoners and their families, especially through churches.
The Christchurch organisation, Pillars, works with prisoners and their families, inspired by research showing that prisoners returning to strong families are less likely to re-offend. They provide wrap-around support for children of prisoners.
Graeme Page of Auckland PARS spoke especially about the good quality self-contained accommodation they have been able to provide for released prisoners. People lose their independence when they go to prison, and need to re-acquire that independence.
Perhaps the most inspirational presentation was a panel of ex-prisoners, which included members of the Notorious Chapter of the Mongrel Mob in Auckland. They are working with their whanau to make sure that their young people don’t follow in their footsteps, but ‘choose life’. Some of them had been at last year’s conference. So they were reporting progress on their successes in the intervening year.
They talked about 3 programmes:
- Awhi Rangatahi – includes a beautification trust, removing graffiti, a cars project, and sport and recreation. Older members join in.
- Rent a Bro – a labour hire project, which undertakes a wide variety of work – working together – for themselves, the youth and those coming out of prison. They have had a lot of success in spite of some resistance in the community.
- Hauora – dealing with the health of young people, giving information about tuberculosis, hepatitis and diabetes, as well as addressing the use of P.
They work on a shoe-string budget, which is stretched, but their focus is on their children and their families – their families are their communities.
Perhaps the best comment to sum up this presentation came the next day from Dennis O’Reilly, Lecturer and Black Power Member. He quoted the first Maori Member of Parliament, Tareha te Moananui e Mani, who in 1868 said ‘The power of good is greater than the power of evil. Focus on that which is good’
On the final day, there was general group discussion, in which conference participants spoke of successes and needs in different parts of the country. There are a lot of people doing great work in the area, but there is room for many more, especially accepting, non-judgemental people to be there for the prisoners and their families post release.
Kim Workman spoke of a new venture – a 2-3 year partnership between Prison Fellowship and the Social Policy Unit of the Salvation Army, called ‘Re-thinking Crime and Punishment’. It is funded by the J R McKenzie Trust. Their aim is to ‘Inform, Influence and Involve’ the community. They are visiting all members of Parliament and looking for multi-party support. They want to be a prophetic voice to the nation. The Social Justice Commissioner is part of the reference board for this initiative.
The website is www.rethinking.org.nz
One comment on the prison system was ‘the word ‘prison’ means ‘failure’.
The conference underlined the necessity for a just society which repudiates this failure, and makes it possible for all people to live meaningful lives in loving families.
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