DRIVER EDUCATION FOR ADULTS WITH AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY IN A PRISON SETTING: REDUCING RECIDIVISM

Transcription

1 DRIVER EDUCATION FOR ADULT WITH AN INTELLECTUAL DIABILITY IN A PRION ETTING: REDUCING RECIDIVIM Adam Nobilia: pecial Education Teacher Long Bay Correctional Centre Malabar NW

2 Intellectual Disability definition For the purpose of this paper, the term intellectual disability will refer to adults who score approximately two standard deviations or more below the population, which equals an IQ score of about 70 or below (DM-5).

3 Population 41 male inmates with an intellectual disability were interviewed in relation to their driver s licence status and their driving history. All inmates from this study were housed at Long Bay Correctional Centre in the Additional upport Unit. The average age of the 41 participants in this study was 30. The oldest participant was 63 and the youngest 19.

4 Licence history Findings from the 41 inmates interviewed Current Licence 12% Licence, Not Current 12% Never Held Licence, 76% Never Held Licence Current licence Licence Not Current

5 Of the 37 people who had never held a licence, (81 %) reported driving a car unlicensed. Of those 30 people, 20 (66.6 %) had been charged for driving unlicensed at least once. Fig 2: Driven a car in NW? Driven Unlicenced Been Charged for driving unlicenced Never Driven a car

6 Reasons for not having a licence No Identification Documents, 17.20% Fines/ uspended or Disqualified % Can t Read, 58.50%

7 History of Program The RTA (now known as the RM) Learner s licensing program was introduced into the Additional upport Unit in The AU received an RTA laptop with the Driver s Knowledge test (DKT) program installed and a knowledge test update cd was sent monthly to ensure that students were practising on the most current version. The practice test has the capacity to read the questions aloud which allows students with reading difficulties the opportunity to complete the test independently. From 2008 until 2011 tudents could leave custody with their licence. This agreement no longer exists.

8 uccess stories During the period from 2008 to 2011 eight people were successful in obtaining their licence Not returned to cusotdy 1 1 returned to custody Not yet released ix of the eight people considered themselves to be non-readers prior to commencing the course and all six passed without the assistance of the voice reader or staff support. More importantly, of the 8 successful students, only one has returned to custody since that time, whilst one student is yet to be released.

9 Current Practice in the Additional upport Unit (AU) When a student joins the RM driver education group they receive an up to date colour printed copy of the Road User s Handbook and a road signs spelling book. They receive a personal folder with the Get Licenced, Get Legal, Get work workbook, tudents with outstanding DRO fines are registered for a Work and Development Order (WDO). Fines are paid at a rate of $50 per hour provided a student is attentive for the whole session. A referral is made to the ervices and Programs officer (APO) to assist the student to apply for their identification documents including a birth certificate, Medicare Card, A disability upport Pension Card if they do not have them. tudents are enrolled into NWTP102B: Apply afety awareness and Literacy kills for Driving as a part of the Certificate I in Access to Work and Training Course. If students are at Certificate II level, they will be enrolled in a reading and writing module from the Certificate II in Access to Work and Training.

10 Workbook

11 Workbook

12 Workbook Activity Match the Road sign to the photo then spell the word

13 Photos

14 Photos

15 Principles of Adult Learning

16 Work and Development Orders In accordance with the DRO guidelines, students that engage in Educational, Vocational or Lifestyle courses are able to pay off their fines at a rate of $50 per hour. tudents can pay off their fines at a maximum of $1000 per month. To be eligible for a WDO according the DRO, sponsors must be able to demonstrate one of the following categories for each participant: Proof of mental illness Proof of intellectual disability or cognitive impairment Proof of homelessness Proof of acute economic hardship Proof of serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances. tudents in the Additional upport Unit have sufficient evidence of their disability prior to joining one of the Units. adly, most participants in the AU are eligible for a WDO for more than one of the stated eligibility criteria.

17 Current Outstanding Debt The highest outstanding debt from the group currently stands at $27, 250 with the lowest amount outstanding, $806 Fig 5: Outstanding DRO Debt for the AU in eptember 2015 $100, $90, $93, $80, $70, $60, $50, $40, $30, $20, $10, $0.00 Total outstanding Debt in the AU $5, Average Debt per person

18 OUTTANDING WDOs

19 Most Common reasons for wanting a licence Having a licence will assist me in getting a job Having a licence will help me keep in contact with my family including my children. I can play sport again

20 Reported benefits of completing the Driver Education course Participants begin the process of obtaining their identification documents, such as their birth certificates, Medicare card, and pension cards. The course includes thorough information on alcohol, drugs and driving and gives students another reason to reduce their use of alcohol and drugs post- release. Improved computer skills and awareness through autonomous use of the RM practice test computer. Greater confidence in their ability to learn new information and therefore an increased likelihood of continuing their education through TAFE or other training organisations post-release. Improved confidence to apply for a job post-release.

21 Driver Education and the LIR- R Of these ten factors predicting recidivism, Driver Education within prison has the potential to reduce an offender s risk in the following four domains: Criminal history Accommodation Emotional Personal Education/Employm ent Financial Family/Marital Leisure/Recreation Companions Alcohol/Drug problems Attitudes/Orientation.

22 Conclusions: How does Driver Education reduce recidivism? Having a driver s licence prevents a person driving illegally on the road. Therefore, there will be no breach of parole and no additional charges in relation to driving unlicensed.

23 Where to from here? AEVTI is currently working to re-establish a working relationship with the RM so that students who complete their licence test in custody will be eligible to receive a licence prior to leaving gaol. Driver mentoring programs where unrestricted licence holders volunteer their time to assist learner drivers gain the knowledge, confidence and experience to drive a car. This would be particularly beneficial for drivers under 21 who are required to complete 120 hours of supervised practice before attempting the driving test.

24 Thanks for listening Please see me afterwards if you re interested in handouts and educational resources

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