Frank Greenall: Work towards end to recidivism

It's a familiar movie storyline: A vital operation against the enemy is considered so high risk it's deemed too hot to handle for even the most elite army or law enforcement troops.

The only answer is to call in death row prisoners who - as everyone knows - have nothing to lose.

Result? The job always gets done, albeit accompanied by generous doses of heavily compromised body parts.

Even as a kid, I used to wonder how these guys (no women to be seen) could one minute be considered so sub-human they had to be caged in solitary dungeon-like conditions, and next minute were out there saving mankind with a range of unbelievable hands-on skills.

Of course, the scenario is an extreme one, revved up for box-office consumption. But its extremity sits atop a spectrum that applies to just about every prison.

Below a thin tier of extreme offenders, who really do need to be cloistered off, extends a long tail of lesser offenders with much to offer given half a chance - but who we to choose, instead, to very expensively keep penned up and festering away un-utilised.

Having worked in prisons, it's no secret that the great majority of new inmates are simply youngish guys who by-and-large are basically good blokes but at some brain-fade moment have done something really stupid - usually drug/booze influenced - which they instantly regret.

Next thing, though, they're in the "system" - the prison culture that often forces newbies into gang affiliation merely to survive, and provides master classes on how to become a crash-hot crim.

Tragically, we now have the second-highest incarceration rate of OECD countries and one of the highest recidivism rates.

In recent years Corrections has gotten a whole lot better at providing work-related upskilling and pre-release work experience to inmates but, overall still falls short of ensuring successful transitioning back into the community. Often, good work is quickly undone through simple lack of post-release support.

Thankfully, the new Government has decided to drop plans for the proposed billion-dollar monster prison at Waikeria - another "factory" prison.

At some point - since we've been failing so abysmally ourselves - we have to look elsewhere for innovative correction models that actually work.

Sweden, for example, has achieved outstanding results by concentrating on providing small localised facilities with an average of 70 beds each - compare that to our institutions averaging a whopping 600 beds and all the associated downside institutionalisation.

Alternative to a Waikeria monster, the Government is allocating $200 million for modular units to house prison population overflow. Why not facilitate the lower security risk prisoners to build the units themselves?

As alluded to above, any prisoner muster includes rich reservoirs of practical hands-on skills. Even those with significant literacy and numeracy issues can achieve, as they often possess valuable kinaesthetic abilities which flourish with guidance.

Much building, roofing, etc, can be broken down into straightforward mini-tasks easily mastered under proper supervision and mentoring. And with such stepping-stones are broader skill bases achieved.

A group of Auckland employers put their head above the parapet recently by declaring they preferred to take on workers with proven hands-on skills, yet lacking formal qualifications, as opposed to those possessing only NZQA/NCEA credits of dubious value.

Accordingly, prisoners could be helped to compile a record of hands-on work - all duly signed off - which would be their CV for obtaining post-release work.

I've known prisoners risk electrocution to "hot-wire" the metal chair in their cell simply so they could grill their own toasted cheese on the "hot seat" - a real electric chair! Not only a chance to exercise good practical skills, but part-antidote to numbing boredom.

Let's give them greater opportunity to boost their skills and construct their own ticket to a recidivism-free future.