Experiences of intervention for people serving short prison sentences in New South Wales

Abstract

In New South Wales, people serving less than five months in prison can be eligible for the Short Sentence Intensive Program (SSIP), a custody-based intervention featuring therapeutic activities and reintegration services to reduce reoffending. This study aimed to explore experiences of the SSIP from the incarcerated person's perspective and to gain an understanding of needs and experiences among the short-sentence cohort more broadly. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 SSIP-eligible individuals. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews produced five themes: salience matters; those who want change see opportunity; Rome wasn’t built in a day; little did we know; and, work with us not against us. These give insight into strengths and weaknesses of the SSIP which reflect universal principles of effective case management while highlighting the challenges that are inherent to supporting the rehabilitation of individuals in prison who are within a short time to release.

Keywords

Prison short sentence reoffending rehabilitation qualitative lived experience

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