Offenders and their families are some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people in Australia.
- In 2009, 30,000 people were held in Australian prisons, an increase of 39% in ten years.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are incarcerated at a rate 14 times higher than that of the general population and comprise about 24% of all people in Australian prisons (whilst making up only 2.5% of the population).
- Families suffer stress from stigma, social isolation, financial difficulties and changes in living arrangements as well as physical and mental health problems.
Research highlights that offenders are often impacted by broader patterns of exclusion and disadvantage, with histories of abuse, neglect, inadequate education, unemployment, mental health, drug and alcohol issues, homelessness and intellectual disability.
The families of offenders play a critical role in making a difference. Best practice locally and internationally suggests that maintaining family connections help to break cycles of reoffending. It can also protect children of offenders from becoming offenders themselves.
Our aim is to improve the lives of offenders and their families and to contribute to improved community outcomes. By reducing rates of reoffending and diverting people from crime we can: make communities safer, stronger and more resilient; and help reduce the financial cost to society.
What Red Cross does
Red Cross works to achieve the following outcomes:
- Young people considered most at risk of imprisonment or detention gain the support necessary to stay out of detention.
- People in prison are better able to manage their safety, health and well being and remain
connected to their families and communities.
- Families are better able to cope with the stress and stigma of having a family member incarcerated.
- Following release from prison or juvenile detention, people will gain improved opportunities, greater resilience, and have positive social connections.
Programs:
- Prisoner Support Program - peer support for inmates at risk. Currently provided in Tasmania
- Prison Visitor Resource Centre - personal and practical support for people visiting a family member or friend in prison. Currently provided in Vic.
- FOODcents - Nutrition education for inmates of the Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison WA.
- save-a-mate - training in how to prevent recognise and respond to health emergencies from alcohol and other drug use. Currently provided in ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, and WA.
- Melbourne Youth Justice Centre - providing young offenders with positive social interaction through sport. Currently provided in Vic.
- Talk Out Loud - Mental Health training course offered to young people in prison or detention centres. Currently provided in NSW, SA and Tas.
Download the Red Cross brochure for offenders and their families.