Male ex-prison inmates are needed for University of Queensland research looking at the factors that help them remain crime-free after completing their sentence.
PhD candidate John Finney from UQ’s School of Education is investigating how ex-inmates are able to live in the community without re-offending and, in particular, how they cope with the day-to-day pressures of everyday life.
The study will examine whether opportunities for career training or further specialised skills training provide ex-inmates with alternatives to criminal behaviour and make re-offending less likely.
“It is important to learn what is already working and assisting ex-inmates in the community so that systematic post-prison support, care and supervision can be developed as part of a formalised pre-release program,” Mr Finney said.
“To date there has been no systematic assistance that is provided for ex-inmates and nobody really knows how ex-inmates are able to live crime free in the community”.
He said the main aim of the research was not to suggest what could be done and what would work for ex-inmates, but to bring to the forefront what was already working for ex-inmates who are living successfully in the community.
“It is speculated that there are many ex-inmates who have been released from various correctional facilities and who are living crime free but no one has taken time to listen to their stories, document their experiences, learn from their struggles and appreciate their success and hard work,” Mr Finney said.
“The hardest thing in conducting this kind of research is to contact ex-inmates as they may not want to associate themselves with any stigma or may not want to identify themselves as ex-inmates.”
The research involves discussing and completing a questionnaire. No personal, identifiable information is needed.
Adult male ex-inmates living crime free in Queensland who are interested in taking part in this research study can contact Mr Finney (telephone: 07 3365 9143 or email: j.f@uq.edu.au or mail: J-F C/- of The School of Education, University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072).
Media: For more information contact: Mr Finney (telephone: 07 3365 9143) or Chris Saxby at UQ Communications (telephone: 07 3365 2479).
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