Grant 33/12-13: Welfare and recidivism outcomes of in-prison education and training

Using the WA prisoner education and welfare dataset, the research found that prisoners who have up-skilled are less likely to recidivate (in terms of increased offence seriousness) and an increased number of successful classes will also reduce recidivism. In addition, ex-prisoners who are best able to remain in the community for longer have studied and successfully completed all their classes.

In-prison study also affects welfare dependence, in particular, receipt of unemployment benefits or student allowances. That is, the more classes that were successfully completed or involved up-skilling, the shorter time the ex-prisoners spent on welfare in the immediate post-release period.