A North Queensland Corrective Services initiative is helping Close the Gap on life outcomes of First Nations prisoners in Townsville.
Townsville Low Custody Correctional Centre's partnership with Civil Safety delivers six hands-on training programs for low custody First Nations prisoners in conservation and land management, rural operations, construction, foundation skills, agriculture and horticulture, and Resources.
Prisoners train across the correctional centre's 788-hectare reserve with specialist machinery from skid steer loaders to excavators and forklifts.
Heavy machinery training underway at a decommissioned farm behind the Townsville Correctional Centre is transforming the area into a worksite for low custody female prisoners.
In the last year, 121 trade qualifications and more than 1840 units of competency were achieved by First Nations trainees.
Last month, the training partnership with Civil Safety Townsville won the QCS Commissioner's Excellence award for excellence in collaboration.
The Commissioner's Awards highlighted Queensland Corrective Services excellence across five categories: safety, collaboration, empowerment, respect and accountability.
Quotes attributable to Corrections Minister Nikki Boyd:
"For Closing the Gap on life outcomes of First Nations prisoners, Townsville Correctional Centre's training partnership with Civil Safety is a potential game changer.
"We know prisoners are less likely to re-offend if they're job ready when released back into the community at the end of their sentence.
"This program sets up prisoners with the work skills they'll need for a bright, productive future on the outside while keeping Queensland communities safe.
"QCS is looking at replicating the skills training partnership in other low custody facilities in Queensland because the results really do speak for themselves."
Quotes attributable to Townsville Correctional Centre Low Custody Deputy General Manager George Muir:
"Partnerships with organisations like Civil Safety increases prisoners' employability, builds opportunities for connection to culture and family, and provides meaningful rehabilitation to reduce recidivism.
"By giving prisoners an opportunity to experience the workforce and find secure employment upon release, the chance of them committing another crime or coming back to prison is lessened.
"Our partnerships with organisations like Civil Safety boosts community safety by providing prisoners with the best chance of successfully integrating back into the community under supervision."
The Townsville region won twice at the Commissioner's Awards for Excellence.
Palm Island Community Corrections' collaboration with local government and non-government organisations to maximise rehabilitation and community safety was recognised for excellence in empowerment.
