Australia sentences prisoners ‘to a job’

Darwin’s “Sentenced to a Job” scheme allows inmates to leave prison each day to gain basic work skills and training.

A new 1,000 bed prison in Australia’s Northern Territory is the most expensive project the local government has ever funded. 

Once it fully opens, almost 90 percent of inmates are expected to be Aboriginal, a statistic the government wants to overturn. 

One reason for high rates of indigenous imprisonment is repeat offending – people come out of prison without skills and revert to the same lives – often criminal.

Darwin’s “Sentenced to a Job” scheme allows inmates to leave prison each day to gain basic work skills, thus breaking the cycle of violence. 

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas reports from Darwin.

Source: Al Jazeera