A cul-de-sac of incarceration

was a burglary committed just days after he was released from Auckland Prison. He’s now back in familiar territory awaiting judgment for what could be his 76th prison sentence.

He claims his latest stint behind bars is the result of a lack of support on release. The number above would suggest otherwise, that he is a hardened criminal for whom offending has become practically muscle memory.

Sadly, however, Johnson is not alone.

The prison population grew by more than 25 per cent between 2006 and 2016, from 7324 to 9193. Over the same period, despite myriad initiatives, reoffending percentages have remained static. In 2015, 28 per cent of those freed were back in jail within a year, with the figure rising to 57 per cent after two years.

Johnson left prison with $350 under the Steps to Freedom grant, but like many of the 15,000 people who get out of prison each year he had no identification and no bank account.

All of this was exacerbated when he travelled to Wellington to live with his mum, only to find she was away at a tangi.

A 2016 Salvation Army report, Beyond the Prison Gate, pointed out that prisoners being set free with a few dollars in their backpocket and little else in terms of support is common.

Homelessness is also common, with access to much social and state housing cut off and market rents beyond many of them. Just as elusive are jobs. In 2014-15, less than 30 per cent of people released from prison had found employment six months later.

There are possible solutions, according to the Sallies. That 2016 report recommended that, among other things, every prisoner leaving be supported in applying for ID accepted by banks and other agencies; that they have access to stable accommodation for the next six months; and that public/ private schemes be set up to help provide employment.

Some may consider people like Daniel Johnson beyond help, unworthy of further support. But spare a thought for the first-timer and other, less-experienced criminals. A number of poor choices have set them on a path. With a little more support that need not be a cul-de-sac of incarceration.

That’s got to be worth more than $350. - Stuff