Justice System: Vocational Education for Female Prisoners in Victoria

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of vocational education and training (VET) programs for female inmates within the Australian justice system, with a specific focus on the state of Victoria. The study examines the context of increasing female incarceration rates and the role of correctional services in addressing the needs of inmates. It explores the significance of VET in reducing recidivism, identifying stakeholders such as inmates, prison facilities, trainers, and family members. The report delves into the privatization of prisons in Australia and its impact on VET initiatives, highlighting the involvement of private corporations and their correctional strategies. It critically assesses the effectiveness of current VET programs, considering the challenges in providing adequate training and the potential for long-term employment outcomes for female inmates. The conclusion emphasizes the need for improved implementation and alignment of VET programs with the goals of rehabilitation and crime reduction, addressing the setbacks in achieving the intended outcomes.

Running head: JUSTICE SYSTEM
JUSTICE SYSTEM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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This paper provides a detailed discussion regarding the vocational education and training
among the adult inmates in the country of Australia. The discussion is focused on the education
of the female prisoners and the study is focused on some selected jurisdictions. This assignment
provides an explanation to the inclinations in the confinement of women and mediation programs
that are available to the female in penitentiary in Australia. It shall delve into the matter of
vocational education and intervention methods in the prisons of the island continent, that is,
Australia. More specifically, this assignment shall focus on the state of Victoria of the nation
(Farley & Pike, 2016).
Many research and examinations have been conducted in relation to the female inmates
on a global scale. It has been noted every time that the populace of women or the percentage of
women out of the total number of prison population is small. In the year of 1999, the female
population of prison compared to the total population in the prison was only six per cent. Even
though the number of females in the prison is less in comparison to the actual population, the
percentage of the female inmates has been increasing. The data that is based on a proper research
shall validate that the imprisonment rate of the women has been increasing for the past ten years
and the primary reasons for the women getting imprisoned is due to the involvement in crimes
like drug abuse and violence relating to property and assets. The correctional services in the
nation of Australia, govern the agendas that addresses to the aberrant conduct of the inmates
(Mohammed & Mohamed, 2015). Presently, there is a significant interest and originality in the
strategies and distribution of the intrusions for prisoners regarding the issues of drug abuse. The
vicious offences include murder, battering, sexual offences and robbery. The offences relating to
property are stealing, breaking and entering, fraud and embezzlement.

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The populace of the Australian prisons is extending and enlarging rapidly. There has been
an upsurge of 40% in the past five years. The increase has also been perceived in case of the
female incarceration in the prisons of the Australian states. All the prisoners in a particular
prison, are to be released at some point of time. Therefore, after an individual is released from
the prison, the community integration program plays an important role in the lives of those
people who have been released. The vocational education or the interventions in the prisons and
the correctional institutions are very crucial. It aims at educating and rehabilitating the inmates
so that these inmates, once released, shall not re-enter the prison. Vocational education strategies
are sorted as mediums for the reduction in recidivism. In case of the female inmates, the program
of intervention and the program of the vocational training are more productive. A huge number
of women who has been previously incarcerated in the prison are now doing proper jobs in the
outside world. The practice of such vocational education training and intervention in the prisons
have been given huge importance. The quality and the productivity of the female inmates are
judged, based on the training that a particular women receives while that woman was
incarcerated in the prison. These correctional services are also provided in order to combat the
crime rate (Giles, Paris & Whale, 2016). It is a well-known fact and notion that according to the
theories of the criminology, the employment and opportunities of the employment act as a
motivation to steer away from the life of crime and be a criminal (Newton et. al., 2018).
Across the prisons and the correctional centers for women in Australia, especially in the
state of Victoria, any person who is suitable to work, start working in the prisons according to
their needs. The vocational education training (VET) are provided to such capable women, in
order to create opportunities for these women for employment purposes (Grant & Jewkes, 2015).

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The primary stakeholders and the people who are actually affected in relation to the
vocational training provided in the prison facilities are the female inmates of the prison and other
correctional facilities. They are the ones whose lives are shaped by such training provided. The
prison facilities are also the stakeholders in this situation. The trainers in relation to the
vocational training have a responsibility and can be considered as shareholders in this case. They
are accountable for the education and advancement of the inmates and they share responsibility
in the future employment of such inmates. Even the family members of the inmates and prisoners
are stakeholders in this case. The family members of the inmates expect a proper education and
good employment for them, especially when such opportunities of vocational training is
provided.
Various policies have been adopted by the nation regarding the enhancement of the skills
of the inmates in relation to social norms, educational opportunities and employment. It is
believed that attaining financial independence through employment can perform a dynamic role
in plummeting crime within Australia (Giles & Whale, 2013).
There are several number of prisons in the nation of Australia, as well as in the State of
Victoria itself, that are privately owned and run by private business houses. These prison
facilities, though regulated in accordance to the provisions of various statutes, are not run by the
government, federal or state. Prisons that are operated by private corporations are now the chief
players in relation to the justice procedure globally. The federal and the state government
themselves have asked for the help of the private corporations for the provision of penitentiaries
and facilities with much improved and inexpensive services. This has led to the era of
privatization of prisons in the world. Even in Australia, this privatization has a huge impact on
the prisons and correctional centers (Giles, 2016). Private prisons are now presently functioning

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in the five states of the nation of Australia. The Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western
Australia and New South Wales. Either the private companies operate on their own or they
operate on the basis of government contracts. The private corporations that functions in Australia
in relation to the penitentiaries, are also the ones that operates in the countries like United
Kingdom and the United States. The payment and earnings of these private behemoths depends
on the populace of the prisoners a prison is having. If the populace is huge then payment
according to the government contracts are huge. When there is ride in the number of prisoners,
then there is rise in the number of prisons which in turn results in the success and development of
the private sectors controlling these prisons (Harding, Rynne & Thomsen, 2019).
In order to maintain the reputation of the private corporations regarding the management
of the penitentiaries and that the life of a prisoner is made better inside such a prison, these
private prisons have started various correctional strategies and schemes for the betterment of the
inmates of the prisons, especially the women inmates. The chief objective is to make a provision
of a nonviolent, protected and humanitarian custodial environment. These private sectors in case
of the prisons have also provided the opportunities regarding the intervention programs so that
the danger and harm of committing an offence again by an inmate is less. These private
companies owning the prisons in Australia and particularly in Victoria, are conducting these
interventions and the training methods for the prison inmates, especially the women, to make
their life better and to ensure that they do not return to the path of crime. This kind of policy
shall benefit the female inmates of Victoria and Australia as well. It shall also further the
interests of the corporations in creating a goodwill for themselves and expand their business in
the nation. Therefore, in such situations the private enterprises controlling the prison facilities are

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also considered to be the key stakeholders along with the prisoners and the inmates (Feeley,
2014).
However, there is little evidence to prove that the vocational training and education
provided to such females of the prisons have any rational and logical impact on the idea of not
committing any crime again or re-offending. There are various kinds of vocational training and
education programs. These programs may include hospitality, horticulture, and maintenance of
assets, transportation and logistics, education regarding information technology and engineering.
Education in relation to small management opportunities of various types of businesses are also
provide. Even the prisoners are provided with the opportunity to take part in distance system of
education from an outside prison facility. The facilities for education include several small
classrooms, laboratory for the computers and library. The female inmates who shall be
considered as eligible can have computers in their own cells for the purposes of study. Although
the inmates in Victoria are not allowed to access internet or mail. Even though all the above
opportunities and services are provided by the private companies owning the penitentiaries, the
chief objectives of providing such opportunities regarding education and employment are not
being fulfilled. When the female inmates of the state of Victoria is receiving the training and
education that they need in order to benefit from the employment opportunities, it is not actually
going as planned. On many occasions, the training provided to the female inmates is not
adequate. The training provided is not fulfilling the requirements of the employment provided.
The training and education provided to the female inmates might help in the short run, however,
in the long run these job and employment opportunities are lost (Aviram, 2014).
Therefore, in conclusion, it might be said that although opportunities are being provided
in the prisons, it is also suffering from major setbacks. The aims and views that the private

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business houses, the owners of the private penitentiaries, are trying to achieve, are not being
fulfilled. The vocational training and other intervention programs are not being properly
implemented and even if they are being implemented in the prisons, such implementation on the
female inmates are not achieving the end results as viewed and planned by the management of
the prisons. As stated earlier, such educational systems for the female prisoners are not helping
them to land a permanent job, which may keep them away from committing any sort of crimes.
Hence, the training system of the prisons is failing to restrict the re-confinement of such female
prisoners due to the reasons as mentioned in this assignment.

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References
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