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Treatment Programs

Reducing Reoffending Programs

The Victorian prison system offers a range of programs designed to reduce the likelihood of prisoners reoffending and, therefore, increase the safety of the community. The main programs are aimed at reducing the incidence of specific types of offences such as violence, sex offending and drug and alcohol abuse. Other, more general programs, include those to help offenders learn new ways of thinking and solving problems (Cognitive Skills), encourage positive behaviour change (Exploring Change), and manage emotions (RUSH).

Staff from a number of professional backgrounds including psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing, are employed to assess offenders for these programs and deliver them.

Reducing Reoffending Programs are provided Statewide in publicly and privately operated prisons, as well as in Community Correctional Services. The majority of programs are delivered at Marngoneet Correctional Centre, which has been established specifically for this purpose.

Aims of Reducing Reoffending Programs

Reducing Reoffending Programs are primarily delivered in a group format using a cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, in conjunction with activity-based learning. This is consistent with international evidence-based principles and practices, and adult learning principles, which have been proven to be effective in reducing the likelihood of an offender committing further offences.

In particular, these programs aim to address needs shown to be associated with recidivism, and which can be changed. These are called criminogenic needs (e.g. peers, attitudes and behaviours, which contribute to offending).

Types of treatment programs

Sex offender programs

Sex offender programs target all convicted sex offenders in Victoria, whether sentenced to prison or a community disposition. The programs also target offenders who have a sexual element to their crime. The main aim of these programs is to protect the community by reducing the likelihood of sexual reoffending.

Corrections Victoria's sex offender programs staff are primarily located at the Carlton Community Correctional Services, the Ararat Prison and Marngoneet Correctional Centre. They provide a range of services including assessment, intervention, staff training, consulting, research and evaluation.

Corrections Victoria's Sex Offender Management Branch, which incorporates Sex Offender Programs, was established to ensure a streamlined, whole-of-system approach to the management of sexual offenders in Victoria. The Branch coordinates specialist service delivery, has implemented a quality system of targeted case management and ensures the identification and effective supervision of high risk sexual offenders. In line with the revised service delivery model, Sex Offender Programs has implemented structural changes to improve its capacity to meet demands and ensure high quality assessments and interventions.

Drug and alcohol programs

Corrections Victoria has a comprehensive range of drug and alcohol treatment services for prisoners. The Victorian Prison Drug Strategy (2002) underpins the strategic response to drug and alcohol issues within Victorian prisons and includes a broad range of functions across the areas of deterrence, detection and treatment. The model of drug and alcohol service delivery used by Corrections Victoria is of differential treatment, whereby assessment of both substance use and risk of reoffending is directly linked to the level of programming offered.

Corrections Victoria is currently undergoing a review of drugs policy with the aim of developing a Drug and Alcohol Framework for Corrections to ensure an integrated and coordinated approach to drug and alcohol issues and services offered both in prisons and for offenders supervised in the community.