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https://theconversation.com/they-werent-there-when-i-needed-them-we-asked-former-prisoners-what-happens-when-support-services-fail-208949>
"When Geoff* left prison after his sentence ended, he was told he would be
provided with help to return to the community and get on with this new chapter
in life.
They promised a lot. Like you know transitioning to housing, even help with
you know finding work and that, but […] none of those promises were met.
The result was sadly predictable. Geoff was unable to access public housing due
to a lengthy wait list and he soon found himself rotating between staying with
friends or at hostels and living on the street.
Geoff’s story is not uncommon, as we discovered when we interviewed 48 people
formerly incarcerated in Victoria (33 men, 15 women) for a study on
post-release pathways among people who inject drugs. All had a history of drug
use.
We wanted to know more about how they were supported to find housing and work,
obtain medical care or, for those wanting to do so, access help to get off
drugs. Getting this kind of pre- and post-release support can drastically
reduce the risk of the person re-offending.
Our analysis, published in the
International Journal of Drug Policy, reveals
how services can play a crucial role in post-release success for people leaving
prison.
Systemic failures can ultimately perpetuate the “revolving door” of
incarceration."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
