Punishment

Punishment

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Introduction

In the article “Women in Transition: From Prison to…” Baldry discusses and examines the case of imprisoned aboriginal women in Australia and New South Wales. Her discussion focuses on re-entry approaches. She specifically looks at how the country has been quick to use the approaches developed in the United Kingdom and North America, with specific focus on America. She observes that these approaches have not benefited the aboriginal women prisoners. She has included research focusing on the needs of the aboriginal woman, with specific focus on those in prison (Baldry, 2010).

Literature Review

Baldry has extracted information from different sources such as various reports, journals, books and other publications. She has conducted empirical studies in her research, which she has explained in detail. She has also noted her observations from her previous research studies. This shows her diverse interest, knowledge and experience in the field. Her research has included information derived directly from the source. She has visited prisons in New South Wales and other places in the country and internationally. She has included research from government releases and publications. This is especially the case when she is dealing with prison statistics and figures. This includes data from Victorian Departments of justice and correctional services among others. She has included research done and published by other people in the field. This has increased her knowledge and diversity.

She has included research conducted by other people in the field who have an interest on the topic. The researchers have conducted different studies concerning the implementation and effectiveness of throughcare programs and post release support. Although she has focused her research on Australian prisons, she has also included studies conducted in other countries. She has thus been able to see the issue from a different perspective, and this has enabled her to compare the programs from Australia and those from other countries. This has enabled her to examine the reasons why the throughcare in some of the Australian prisons is not working. She has sought views from the prison and correctional authorities. She has thus been able to get firsthand information on the issue, and this has increased the credibility of her work.

By incorporating the views of other people, she has been able to draw objective conclusions to her research. Her decision to include research and materials published in the country is important. Some of the research gives a different report from the reports published and released by the government. This has enabled her to examine why the throughcare and post release programs are not working. It has also enabled the researcher to give an independent conclusion on the matter, as she has been able to look at both sides of the argument objectively. Her knowledge about the community and especially about the aboriginal women has been quite profound and beneficial. She has included the struggles faced by individual women in the community, and noted why the throughcare programs have proven to be ineffective with the women.

Overview of the throughcare program and post release

In written form, the throughcare program and the post release seem like an effective way of helping the women prisoners to rejoin the society. It highlights several ways to ensure that it achieves this. The program contains important and useful information to help the prisoners in reintegrating in the society. It is however important to note that the program has not been implemented effectively. The main objective of the program is to ensure that prisoners do not re-offend and go back to the prisons. However, this is not usually the case, as most of the women who are released end up going back to the prisons (Kinner & Williams, 2006). The models of the throughcare programs used in most of the Australian prisons are modeled after other international models such as the ones used in the United Kingdom. They do not consider the important elements of culture, especially the culture of the indigenous people. This can help to explain the failure rate experienced in the implementation programs. There are many important elements to consider when introducing and implementing the post release and throughcare programs. The programs should be designed in such a way that they consider the culture of the people.

Research Studies

A report “Inclusive practices: ACT prisoners and their families” released by the Community Inclusion Board highlighted some of the ways that different institutions managed the throughcare and post release programs. One of the articles showed the aboriginal prison healthcare model. The model showed how the various processes of the criminal system worked together. It highlighted the importance of the community, family and the environment worked in the integration process. It also showed the role of spiritualism, health and psychology of the prisoners were beneficial in the throughcare program. The report highlights important issues to consider when designing throughcare programs and post release. Some of the issues proposed include acquisition of practical skills, access to healthcare, mentoring programs, provision of long-term intensive support programs and enhancing the prisoners’ interaction activities with their families among other programs (Smith, 2008).

In their article “staying strong on the outside: Improving the post-release experience of indigenous young adults”, Robyn Gilbert and Anna Wilson examine different ways of how young prisoners can reintegrate into the society and how they can avoid incidences of re-offending. They examine the challenges faced by young and indigenous offenders. Some of the noted challenges include accommodation, addictions and lack of social support. They also highlight the challenges faced by different stakeholders as they are trying to provide solutions to the problems encountered by the re-offenders. They recommend evaluating and revising the programs implemented in prisons. The revision should include removing any obstacles that are affecting the programs (Gilbert & Wilson, 2009).

Discussion and Conclusion

Some of the women prisoners are usually arrested again; this is especially the case with women who come from poor backgrounds. These women have no opportunities in life. They have no employment and most of them do not have someone who can help them to rejoin the society. Most of the prisoners who are likely to re-offend are those who commit less serious crimes. One of the ways of dealing with re-offending cases is throughcare. The justice system seeks to identify ways to help the offender from the moment they enter the correctional facilities and prisons to the moment they leave. The system ensures that the person is reintegrated back to the community once they are released from the prison (Baldry, 2007).

The idea behind throughcare is to make sure that the offender has a smooth transition, ensuring that she will not offend again. Throughcare can be a success if it is implemented in the correct manner. There are many individuals, institutions and other groups who are involved in the process, and they need to work together to ensure the success of the program. When one of the stakeholders fails, the program is affected in a negative way and it will not be effective on the offenders. Prisons have different programs, through which they teach the prisoners skills to help them when they rejoin society. Once the prisoner is released, she may not be able to utilize the knowledge she gained due to lack of proper means. Other prisoners find it hard to get employment. The situation is worse for prisoners who have other needs, such as those who are mentally incapacitated and those with alcohol and drug related problems. Some of the women who are released from prison do not usually have anywhere to live. Some do not have any families or friends they can depend on, and this increases their chances of being arrested and convicted again.

Another factor that increases the chance of women going back to prison is loneliness. Prisoners need all the social support they can get to ensure that they do not commit crime again. It is important for the offenders to be surrounded with family and friends, as this helps them to avoid trouble. Women who are able to join support agencies and groups are advantaged since the agencies give them the support they need, be it financial or moral support. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case with most of the women prisoners. There are very few agencies, which support women prisoners. Aboriginal women are disadvantaged and they face many problems, especially in New South Wales. They are more likely to re-offend than other groups. They face many problems such as violence in their families, mental health disorders and homelessness. These are prime factors for re-offending. They also have to contend with lack of opportunities. Some of these women have minimal education and some of them were forced out of their land. Those who suffer from mental conditions and other health challenges face additional challenges, as they lack access to quality healthcare for themselves and their families.

Factors such as culture and family inclusion and interaction are important when designing and implementing throughcare and post release programs. It is important to consider different cultural elements of the indigenous communities for the programs to be effective. Children who are separated from their mothers in prison suffer and some of them end up living disadvantaged lives. This increases their chances of becoming offenders and ending up in prison (Sheehan, 2011). Practical skills are especially important when implementing the programs, as they will ensure that the prisoners are self-reliant when they leave prisons. It is also important for the prisoners to have social support from their families. Released prisoners are less likely to re-offend when they surround themselves with people who will influence their lives positively.

References:

Baldry, E. (2010). Women in transition: From prison to… [online]. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 22 (2) 253-267

Baldry, E. (2007). Recidivism and the role of social factors post-release. Retrieved from www.sydneyshove.org/Social_Factors_Post_Release.pdf

Gilbert, R., & Wilson, A. (2009). Staying strong on the outside: Improving the post-release experience of indigenous young adults. Retrieved from www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/briefs/brief004.pdf

Kinner, S., & Williams, W. (2006). Post-release experience of prisoners in Queensland: Implications for community and policy. Retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au

Sheehan, R. (2011). Working with women offenders in the community. New York, NY: Psychology Press

Smith, D. (2008). Inclusive practices: ACT prisoners and their families. Retrieved from www.cmd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/…/inclusive-practices.pdf