Why some former inmates find life outside prison just as hard as life inside

SBS Australia

3 days ago

Vincent Siahaan once thought criminals who reoffended or ended up back in prison were "stupid", until he came out of the system himself. When he was released, he found the first few months outside were just as difficult as the first few months inside. Siahaan was running his own restaurant in Brisbane when he got "caught up in the wrong crowd", and a series of bad decisions led to a conviction for drug trafficking and a nine-year jail sentence.
The 40-year-old was released on parole after four and a half years and struggled to adjust to everyday life after leaving the routine of his life in prison. Getting a job proved even more difficult.
I applied for everything really … and I've got a resume, I've got an extensive working history, and nobody would give me a crack.
Vincent Siahaan believes many people struggle to adjust to life outside prison. Source: Supplied "I did sit for some interviews, and I'd have to tell them that I'd need to take some time off each week to see my parole officer, and they'd say 'that's fine, we'll get back to you'. But no-one did," Siahaan says. He says he was fortunate his wife had a job and was able to cover their living expenses, but many of his friends did not have this option. He says many of them have reoffended, particularly those who were unable to find work or did not have a reliable support system to help them turn their lives around.
Before his first-hand experience, Vincent says he had not understood why people were repeat offenders.
I just couldn't understand how stupid you must be to just come in and out … you get a second, third, fourth chance. And I just didn't understand it until I got out myself. "It's hard if you have no support, it's hard if you don't have a roof over your head," he says.
"It's hard if you don't have money, a car, what are you meant to do? How many times are you supposed to take rejection?".
Australia's high recidivism rates Lorana Bartels is a professor of criminology at the Australian National University and director of the Justice Reform Initiative, a non-partisan advocacy organisation that works to reduce the imprisonment rate in Australia. She says Australia's rate of recidivism is very high by international standards. "One common measure [of calculating recidivism rates] is what proportion of people who are in prison have been in prison previously," she says.
"It's a measure used in many countries around the world, and our rate here in Australia is about 60 per cent, and in many countries it's more like 20 per cent."
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2024, there were 44,403 people in prison in Australia. Of these, 26,679 people had been imprisoned before. Bartels says certain demographics, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from rural and remote areas, are statistically more likely to return to custody. "[They are] often returning to areas with lower employment prospects, poorer health opportunities, greater housing and economic stress; these are all things that are associated with a higher recidivism rate," she says.
"For someone coming out of prison, if they don't have housing, if they don't have a job, if they can't read and write, if they have untreated mental health and alcohol and drug issues … the chances of them managing to stay out of prison are pretty low."
The 'most effective factor' in reducing recidivism While the reasons for convicted criminals re-offending are complex, there are key factors that appear to make a difference in people staying out of the system.
Nicole Dwyer is the CEO of Workskil Australia, a not-for-profit supporting people facing barriers to employment.
Dwyer says the organisation is working with around 3,000 former offenders across the country. "The three big issues for people leaving prison and why they go back in are: They can't find access to housing — that's probably one of the biggest issues at the moment, especially with the housing crisis," she says. "They also [often] don't have any connection with family and friends, so they're fairly isolated, and they can't find employment. "If you can crack those three things, we find you can reduce re-offending substantially." Of these factors, Dwyer says employment is the most effective in preventing recidivism
She believes having access to support services and employment programs can make a difference.
Bartels agrees and says employment "occupies a number of hours of the day, it gives the person money, it gives them a social identity". "Many people who have been in the system for a long time, they may not know any [other] way of life other than committing crime and hanging out with other people who commit crime," she says.
"So being involved in stable legal employment is a really important way to start creating a new non-offending identity."
'Something to prove' Mitchell Harnwell, 30, spent nearly four years going in and out of the prison system while struggling with drug addiction.
He says he applied for jobs and attended several interviews, but struggled to find an employer who would hire him due to his criminal history. Eventually, he returned to selling drugs.
When you need money to pay bills, you do what you need to do to get by.
"It was easier to make a phone call and start selling again, and then with selling it becomes using, and it's the same cycle," he says.
Mitchell Harnwell struggled to find a job after being released from prison. Source: Supplied Harnwell was eventually able to get clean, and found a job through a friend whose employer knew about his history and was open to giving him a chance. Having a job provided him not only with an income, but also structure and stability, and helped him stay busy and "keep out of trouble".
He believes many former prisoners can make good employees, particularly for physically demanding jobs, as they are used to following a routine and have a good fitness level after training in prison.
We come out fit, you're used to working hard, and a lot of time, you've got something to prove, so you work extra hard. Finding a new identity With his wife's support, Siahaan became a certified personal trainer and set up his own business. Now, he is in the process of setting up a charity and advocating for more support for former inmates.
He has set up a community organisation, Inside Out, connecting former inmates with prospective employers, and has been overwhelmed with the response.
Like Harnwell, Siahaan says work opportunities can help those in need of routine and stability after leaving prison. "Inside there is structure … everyone knows their place, and then you get out here and it's sort of like you lose your identity," he says. "When I came out, I felt lost … and that's why a job is so crucial, because it sort of gives you a purpose or identity." While he says the reasons for recidivism are complex, he believes employment is one of the biggest factors.
"You won't be as inclined to stray if you have people holding you accountable and you have something to wake up to every morning — but a lot of people don't get that chance."