Prisoners on parole with life skills to make a living

By MARJORIE FINKEO
TWENTY prisoners on parole took the skills of making body oil, organic stockfeed, soap and biscuits to live their life in public.
Their training was done under the Justice Service and Stability for Development in Port Moresby with a K50,000 Australian government funding.
Chief parole officer Elizabeth Mirio told The National that many of the prisoners were out after serving half their 15 to 20-year terms for serious crimes like murder and rape but a breach of their conditions during parole would return them to jail.
“It is the first of its kind of programme, many prisoners who completed their terms are looking for jobs but have been unsuccessful. Such training will help them,” Mirio said. She said most on parole had completed more than 10 years of their terms and were low-risk ones. Their application submission assessment have guaranteed them to live with their relatives.
“They are low risk inside the prison but when they are released to the community, we see them as high risk,” she said.
“Most of the detainees feel that communities take time to accept them back, no one helps them to live in the city and such training is important that the department has started.” Mirio said training came under Department of Justice and Attorney-General and they worked with the PNG Correctional Services which had their own rehabilitation programmes in prisons.