Providing hospitality training programmes in New Zealand detention centres may have positive results for both prisoners, and eventually, the industry, a study has found.
Study authors and AUT researchers Madeleine Crouth, Dr Alison McIntosh and Tracy Harkison, conducted a literature review of hospitality training and education in correctional facilities.
Hospitality programmes, particularly ones focussed on catering, had a positive impact on how prisoners engaged with their rehabilitation.
Creating an experience through sharing and giving food, being of service and creating meaningful social connections are some of the industry-specific reasons for the programmes’ success, the study noted.
Training initiatives, such as those provided in prison training restaurants open to the public for dining, offered a unique opportunity for prisoners to change the negative public perceptions held about them.
The challenges of providing such programmes include security risks, lack of support services and lack of sustainable funding. A programme’s success post-release was found to be adversely affected by a lack of post-release support and the public stigma surrounding offenders.
Despite these challenges, the study authors note the potential two-way benefit of such programmes.
“With the hospitality industry facing a skills shortage and with its low barriers to entry, there is potential to build upon the success of existing hospitality education programmes to build skills, pride and a second chance for those who are engaging in rehabilitation.
“The Department of Corrections/Ara Poutama Aotearoa could consider the success of initiatives such as The Clink Charity training restaurants in the UK in supporting rehabilitation through hospitality training and work.”
The study notes that people who offend in New Zealand have a 43 per cent chance of reoffending within the first 24 months of their release.
“A focus on literacy and numeracy, support through baseline education, and specific trades like hospitality, can start to refine the options of a person who offends, further enabling them to start developing goals that will support their futures,” say the study authors.
“It is estimated that approximately 60 per cent of people who offend have literacy and numeracy skills lower than the NCEA Level 1 competency, and 66 per cent of adults have no formal qualifications.”
