| Abstract: | Offenders, whether they are adults or juveniles, convicts or simply on remand are usually offered some sort of vocational training durir g the period of incarceration. For most prison service establishments, training has been elevated to a position of utmost prominence, so much so that an offender's post‐release career seems to depend largely on the success of training received in prison. Prison vocational training should address the vital aspects of offender rehabilitation and reintegration, and current agitations centre on whether offender should ‘do time’ or ‘use time’ during training sessions. By and large, training should not simply be part of prison routine, but instead should have firm features of an intervention, and also represent a treatment regime. This article discusses a treatment model of prison vocational training for all categories of offenders. The model provides for an initial diagnostic phase of offenders’ work history and training needs, which are carefully analysed in relation to labour market skills requirements. Central to this model is the provision of appropriate job and entrepreneurial skills in conjunction with aftercare services. It also places a high premium on the vocational adjustment of ex‐offenders in society, which must be closely monitored in order that success of the rehabilitation and resettlement processes can be correctly assessed. |
