❓ Ms. Mitchell asks about the role and philosophy of the new Wandoo Reintegration Facility. The Minister for Corrective Services explains its purpose as a minimum-security facility focused on reintegrating young adult offenders through skills development and life education.
AnsweredQoN 373Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WANDOO REINTEGRATION
FACILITY
373. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
As the minister knows, this Liberal–National
government has undertaken some of the largest ever investments in our
correctional facilities. Can the minister please explain to the house the role
and the philosophy behind the new Wandoo Reintegration Facility, formerly known
as the Young Adults Facility?
FACILITY
373. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
As the minister knows, this Liberal–National
government has undertaken some of the largest ever investments in our
correctional facilities. Can the minister please explain to the house the role
and the philosophy behind the new Wandoo Reintegration Facility, formerly known
as the Young Adults Facility?
AnswerView source ↗
The Wandoo facility is for young
adults. It is an 80-bed minimum-security facility that will create choices for
young men between the ages of 18 and 24 years who are completing a custodial
sentence and who are motivated to develop a pro-life lifestyle. A lot of the
credit must go to the former Attorney General for this particular space. He had
the foresight to see that there is actually some capacity to turn some lives
around. This is a watershed decision by this government to follow the lead of
the former Attorney General in this space.
The young adult male offender–reoffender
program takes in a higher rate than any other group in the offender population.
Research shows that employment on release from the program reduces the risk of
reoffending, whilst losing employment leads to them often churning back through
the system, if you like. In fact improving an offender's employment
prospects is the single most effective means of resettling someone back into
the community. Although it costs something like $300-odd a day to keep an adult
person and $600 a day or thereabouts to keep a juvenile person in jail, it has
a significant impact on taxpayers' money. If we can somehow add value
to people in the prison system, we will obviously have a better result when
they come out the other end. Wandoo is especially designed as a re-entry
facility, with a focus on providing skills to young men and providing them with
life education that is appropriate for reintegration back into the community.
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
Mr
M.J. COWPER : Obviously, there are also some significant issues relating to
how we train people. That is another part of my portfolio. There are some great
synergies between the two portfolios. If we have better trained people filling
positions that are somewhat difficult to fill, we will have an opportunity to
ensure that people do not reoffend. Whilst operating as an adult facility,
Wandoo will draw on the experiences, knowledge and expertise of juvenile and
other adult pre-release facilities. This will ensure that Wandoo is an
innovative facility and is responsive to the needs of the cohort that is
intentionally recognised as unique. The facility will attend through-the-fence
and engage families, so its staff will go out into the community and deal with
the families, who will be encouraged to take greater involvement in managing
the progress of their family members.
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
Mr
M.J. COWPER : The facility will be encouraged to be actively engaged in the
decision-making process of the prisoner work education programs. Prisoners will
be encouraged to live in self-care environments in which they can learn life
skills relevant to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and obviously be put on the
right track. The contractor and the staff are encouraged to be flexible and
creative in finding solutions as they present. These young men have an
opportunity to reinvest back into the community. Wandoo will provide value for
money as a contracted service compared with the public sector. Wandoo is a
unique facility in Australia. I think it is a watershed development and it is
sure to be examined very closely by other jurisdictions. Well done to the
former Attorney General.
The
SPEAKER : Members for Warnbro and Cockburn, if you want to ask questions in
this place, I have proposed a way of doing it: you should get to your feet and
ask the question. I formally call you both to order for the second time today.
adults. It is an 80-bed minimum-security facility that will create choices for
young men between the ages of 18 and 24 years who are completing a custodial
sentence and who are motivated to develop a pro-life lifestyle. A lot of the
credit must go to the former Attorney General for this particular space. He had
the foresight to see that there is actually some capacity to turn some lives
around. This is a watershed decision by this government to follow the lead of
the former Attorney General in this space.
The young adult male offender–reoffender
program takes in a higher rate than any other group in the offender population.
Research shows that employment on release from the program reduces the risk of
reoffending, whilst losing employment leads to them often churning back through
the system, if you like. In fact improving an offender's employment
prospects is the single most effective means of resettling someone back into
the community. Although it costs something like $300-odd a day to keep an adult
person and $600 a day or thereabouts to keep a juvenile person in jail, it has
a significant impact on taxpayers' money. If we can somehow add value
to people in the prison system, we will obviously have a better result when
they come out the other end. Wandoo is especially designed as a re-entry
facility, with a focus on providing skills to young men and providing them with
life education that is appropriate for reintegration back into the community.
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
Mr
M.J. COWPER : Obviously, there are also some significant issues relating to
how we train people. That is another part of my portfolio. There are some great
synergies between the two portfolios. If we have better trained people filling
positions that are somewhat difficult to fill, we will have an opportunity to
ensure that people do not reoffend. Whilst operating as an adult facility,
Wandoo will draw on the experiences, knowledge and expertise of juvenile and
other adult pre-release facilities. This will ensure that Wandoo is an
innovative facility and is responsive to the needs of the cohort that is
intentionally recognised as unique. The facility will attend through-the-fence
and engage families, so its staff will go out into the community and deal with
the families, who will be encouraged to take greater involvement in managing
the progress of their family members.
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
Mr
M.J. COWPER : The facility will be encouraged to be actively engaged in the
decision-making process of the prisoner work education programs. Prisoners will
be encouraged to live in self-care environments in which they can learn life
skills relevant to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and obviously be put on the
right track. The contractor and the staff are encouraged to be flexible and
creative in finding solutions as they present. These young men have an
opportunity to reinvest back into the community. Wandoo will provide value for
money as a contracted service compared with the public sector. Wandoo is a
unique facility in Australia. I think it is a watershed development and it is
sure to be examined very closely by other jurisdictions. Well done to the
former Attorney General.
The
SPEAKER : Members for Warnbro and Cockburn, if you want to ask questions in
this place, I have proposed a way of doing it: you should get to your feet and
ask the question. I formally call you both to order for the second time today.
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