Women Kept Out Of Prison Through Mentoring

In just two years the Women & Mentoring (WAM) program has kept fifteen women out of prison, helping the lives of female offenders as well as the public purse. (The Wellington, Collingwood).

Financially, the mentoring program pays for itself because it save the costs associated with  women in the justice system (courts, lawyers, prison etc.) Toni Ladanyi, Program Coordinator, says that keeping just two women out of prison for six months pays for the program. Then there's the social cost saving - putting children in care when their mothers go to prison, family breakdown, loss of housing. Instead, Women and Mentoring helps create functional family life and prevent re-offending.

Yet a similar program in NSW is in danger of ceasing due to budget cuts.

Homelessness NSW has called on Family and Community Services Minister, Pru Goward and Attorney General Greg Smith to urgently devise a plan that will provide long term funding to the mentoring program of the Women in Prison Advocacy Network (WIPAN)

“WIPAN has shown in recent years that a modest investment in a high quality advice and support scheme can massively reduce the recidivism rate of women prisoners,” said Homelessness NSW CEO, Gary Moore

“Giving these disadvantaged women the skills to forge stable living situations and building their resilience to tackle their demons is a critical element of sustainable rehabilitation.”

“The WIPAN mentoring program has both an encouraging success rate of reducing return to prison by nearly 80%”

“At an average direct cost of $4000 per client per year, it represents a tiny fraction of the $100,000 pa cost of imprisonment.”

“A successful outcome from this mentoring program also generally means one less woman at risk of, or actually being homeless and less children at risk of abuse or neglect.”

“The program appears to be a classic victim of not exactly fitting the guidelines of mainstream funding programs in the Family and Community Services portfolio or in the Crime Prevention area of the Attorney General’s agencies”.

“At a time of NSW Government budget cuts, its advocates also find little encouragement from those holding the Government purse strings.”

“However, the WIPAN mentoring program is a cost effective, value for money initiative that genuinely helps female prisoners. As such, it deserves a sustainable funding commitment from the NSW Government,” added Mr Moore.

Listen to the story of WAM Mentoring Women Offenders in Victoria from the ABC Law Report here

More on WIPAN in NSW on ABC Radio's The World Today Read their report here, or contact Homelessness NSW