Almost everyone in prison today will return to our communities. Whether they reoffend depends on what we do to prevent recidivism. In Western Australia, we know what works - prisoner employment programs - so the question is will we allow it to happen instead of relying on counterproductive risk management and control strategies?

Western Australia has around 9,000 people in custody, with close to 3,800 due for release within the coming year. Most will come home. What happens next will shape not only their lives, and that of their families, but the safety, well-being and cohesion of the communities they return to.

We already know one of the most effective ways to reduce re-offending: employment prior to release. The evidence is not contested. Recidivism sits at around 40 per cent. When a person leaves prison with a job, it drops to about 20 per cent. That is not a marginal improvement. It is one of the clearest findings in corrections policy.

Employment provides structure, income and purpose. It restores connection to family and community. It reduces pressure on crisis services and lowers long-term costs. Put simply, it works.

Yet right now, in Western Australia, we are making that pathway harder to access. The Prisoner Employment Program (PEP) is designed to connect people leaving custody with real jobs in the community. In regional areas, it has been built over time through trust between prison staff, employers and participants. It is practical, locally grounded and effective.

But PEP is........

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