Programs
Women arriving at the centre receive a suite of assessments leading to the creation of engagement plans that run through the whole of their sentence. Once women are provided with information about programs, they are required to self-refer or apply for them. The centre offers a variety of educational courses and programs. However, the number of courses delivered, and the limited allocation of positions, leaves long waitlists for women wanting to join them. Inspection officers noted an average of 90 names on each course waiting list.
Graph 6: Program waitlists as of 13 September 2023
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
We also looked at the completion rates for each of the courses that were conducted between 25 August 2022 and 29 August 2023. We found that, on average, the centre has a 68% completion rate for the women who start a program while at the centre. While we acknowledge that the completion rates are affected by various reasons, we found that in most cases, the women who did not complete the program were either released or transferred before they could do so.
Graph 7: Number of women in programs and number of women who complete programs (2022–23)
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
Employment
Inspection officers noted similar waiting periods for employment opportunities within the centre. The information provided to us identified 137 women on the waiting list for employment. As of 29 November 2023, 289 women were accommodated at the centre. Of those, 137 were engaged in employment. There were 240 paid positions in the centre. Of these the centre had 103 vacancies at the time the information was provided by QCS.
Graph 8: Employment waitlists as of 22 November 2023
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
As noted in Graph 8, industries have the largest waitlist of the employment offerings at the centre. We spoke to women employed in the industries section, which makes wooden pallets. They told us that the industries section has a high turnover of prisoners but the perception of what industries offered to them was still positive. This included development of skills that relate to production, workshop roles and construction – which may assist them to source employment on release. The women were trained to use each piece of equipment in the workshop, and the feedback indicated that the trade instructors took their time to ensure the women working there knew what to do and how to do it safely.

Photo 12: Industries workshop.
As outlined in the centre’s local instruction Prisoner employment and Scheduling (10 October 2023) a woman being placed on a waitlist is the first step in gaining employment. After the women are assessed for work, they are then placed on a waitlist until appropriate employment becomes available. The local instruction places some conditions that the women have to meet before being placed on the waitlist, namely that they:
- complete the centre induction
- undertake the literacy and numeracy assessment
- complete a workplace health and safety induction.
At the time of the inspection, we were given information that stated the centre had 137 prisoners who had applied for work and were deemed suitable for specific work areas. They had been placed on a waitlist for those areas of employment. We found 78 of the prisoners who had been approved for work areas and placed on the waitlist could have been employed, based on the identified vacancies. It may be that they could not be placed because of conditions required on some types of employment. For example, in some cases, the women have to be located in a residential unit.
In November 2024, we were advised that the number of employment positions available at the centre had risen to 275 with 102 vacancies, and 40 women were waitlisted for the following positions.
Graph 9: Employment waitlists as of 14 November 2024
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
It is encouraging to note the lower number of women on the waitlist and the increased number of positions available. Combined with the updated education completion data, discussed below, the centre has made efforts to provide these women with real reintegration opportunities.
Education
The Report on Government Services 2023, part C - Justice, produced by the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, identified that between 2021 and 2022, 42.7% of released prisoners return to prison with a new sentence within 2 years. QCS has committed to providing opportunities for prisoners to undertake education and training to support them in changing their offending behaviour.
While a number of educational programs were offered at the centre during our inspection, there were significant waiting periods. As shown in Graph 10, the largest waitlists were for the Pre-employment licence, Responsible Service of Alcohol and Certificate II Retail courses. These were potentially considered by the women to be the courses most likely to result in some form of employment on release.
Graph 10: Number of women on a waitlist to begin an educational course from 2022 to 2023
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
We were supplied with updated waitlists for educational courses as of 24 October 2024. As can be seen in Graph 11, they indicate significant increases in the number of women waitlisted for the following courses:
- Barista
- Certificate II in Horticulture
- Certificate II in Salon Assistant.
The data also shows that the numbers of women waitlisted for Certificate II in Kitchen Operations, Certificate II in Retail Services and a pre-employment licence had reduced. We acknowledge that some of the courses available in 2022-2023 may no longer currently be available and additional courses have been added. The reasons for the increases and reductions against some of the courses are not known.
Graph 11: Number of women on a waitlist to start an educational course as of 24 October 2024
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
We also looked at the completion rates for each of the educational courses conducted between 2022 to 2023. We found that, on average, the centre has a 58% completion rate for women who commenced a course. The courses with the highest completion rates were White Card, Responsible Service of Alcohol, First Aid and Certificate II in Engineering.
Graph 12: Enrolled students in an educational course and course completion rates for 2022–2023
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(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
We compared this data to enrolment and completion information for 2023–2024, and it reflected an average completion rate of 83%. Some courses had high completion rates. For example, the First Aid Certificate and the Certificate II in Engineering had 100% and 99% completion rates, respectively.
Graph 13: Enrolled students in an educational course and course completion rates for 2023–2024
(Source: Data supplied by Queensland Corrective Services)
The course facilitators spoke to us about their commitment to the women’s education. They encourage participants to focus on completing individual modules so that, when a woman is released to the community, they can count towards attaining a qualification, should she want to continue the course.
In-cell technology for education
While we note a woman’s transfer or release into the community may impact on her ability to complete a course, self-paced learning through the introduction of in-cell technologies at the centre would allow more women to access theory-based education courses. This could increase the completion rates of the participants.
Prisoners at the Alexander Maconochie Centre in the Australian Capital Territory are permitted to access the internet via specific websites that contribute to their education or enhance their reintegration prospects. The Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice paper Prisoner use of information and communications technology (Kerr & Willis, 2018) identified overseas jurisdictions such as in Denmark, where low-custody facilities allow in-cell technology for educational purposes.
Prisoners permitted to engage with online resources, for example, while completing educational courses, can improve their digital literacy to ensure they are not falling behind, and reduce another hurdle to overcome on release. Not only would in-cell technology increase access to self-paced educational courses, it would also promote digital literacy, which can assist reintegration outcomes.
The introduction of in-cell technology for the purposes of education may also contribute to QCS’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028. QCS’s strategy to contribute to reducing crime is though ‘promot[ing] evidence-informed rehabilitation activities that contribute to reducing recidivism, including education, vocational and industry skills, and community service’.
At the time of the inspection, there were no specific programs targeting older or younger women. All women who are admitted to the centre are assessed as individuals and allocated to programs or training that suits their specific needs. There are no specific activities, education programs or employment opportunities to target culturally and linguistically diverse women. Language barriers appear to be addressed by using other women who may speak the language of the prisoner to assist in comprehension. This may only be suitable when the woman is not required to disclose information that is personal or offence-related. Culturally and linguistically diverse women have the same assessment processes as all women when being considered for programs and employment.
The centre provides Murri Art, which is the only program targeting First Nations women at the centre. We were advised the centre is currently working on building activities around First Nations women. It was acknowledged that targeted activities must be brought to the forefront at the centre, given the growing number of First Nations prisoners.
Education, programs, and employment within custodial settings play a crucial role in personal development and societal wellbeing. As highlighted in QCS’s strategic priorities, the intention is to reduce reoffending and improve prisoner rehabilitation through activities that empower individuals and reduce reoffending. Increasing the capacity of each program to take more women aligns with QCS’s strategic priorities, by providing more women with the opportunity to address their offending risks, needs and connection to culture.