Getting a Job After Prison in Australia: What Actually Helps

The weeks after release are some of the hardest anyone goes through. Housing, money, family, parole, a phone that doesn't work, a world that kept moving while you were away. Work can feel like one more thing on a long list.

It's also one of the things that helps most. Australian research has linked unemployment after release with going back to prison: in one Australian Institute of Criminology study of people leaving prison, 84% were unemployed, and unemployment, homelessness and debt each predicted a return to custody. (AIC) Another found people who did vocational training in prison went back less often within two years. (AIC)

This guide is the practical version: what to sort out, in roughly the order it tends to matter, and who can help.

Before release, if you can

The more you can line up inside, the easier the first weeks are.

Do the programs and tickets on offer. A course or ticket finished inside is something real to put on a resume and talk about in an interview. Prison education units, work programs and pre-release programs all count.

Start on your ID. Without ID it's hard to open a bank account, sign up with an employer or get paid. Ask the prison's case workers or reintegration staff what they can help with before your release date, and keep hold of your release paperwork: it can count as part of your identification.

Talk to Centrelink before you get out. Services Australia does pre-release interviews up to 21 days before your release date, using a dedicated phone line in the prison. Have your release date, proof of identity and bank details ready if you can. Their social workers can also help you replace a Medicare card. (Services Australia)

Ask about pre-release employment support. Workforce Australia has a Pre-Release Prisoner initiative for people within 12 months of their earliest release date, when corrective services refer you. (DEWR) For First Nations people, the REAL Program offers support from up to six months before release to twelve months after. (DEWR) Reboot runs programs inside prisons and in the community, and takes referrals from correctional services.

The first weeks out

Money first. If you were in prison for 14 days or more, you're getting or eligible for income support, and you're in severe financial hardship, you may be able to get a Crisis Payment for release from prison: one week's worth of your maximum basic rate of payment. Contact Services Australia up to 21 days before release or within 7 days after, then lodge the claim within 14 days of that first contact. (Services Australia)

ID, a bank account and a phone. Almost every employer, labour hire company and job service will need ID, a bank account for your pay, a phone number and an email address. If your ID has lapsed, banks can accept other documents from people recently released, such as corrective services paperwork or a letter from a prison case worker or reintegration officer. (AUSTRAC) In NSW, the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages waives its fees for people released from a NSW prison in the last three months, so a birth certificate costs nothing. (NSW BDM) Other states have their own rules, so ask.

Connect with employment services. Once you're out, Services Australia works out what income support and employment service suits you. Some Workforce Australia providers specialise in working with people who have been in prison, and the program's Employment Fund can pay for things like police checks: ask your provider what else it can cover.

Getting job ready

A resume that tells the truth well. Gaps don't have to be a mystery. A line like "2022 to 2024: completed Certificate II in Construction and kitchen work program" is honest and shows what you did with the time. If you don't have a resume, we'll build one with you.

Tickets open doors. In construction, warehousing and mining, a ticket can be the difference between a call back and silence. A White Card for construction sites, a forklift licence, a first aid certificate. Ask your provider whether they can help pay for one.

Know what you'll say about your record. Most people with a record will be asked about it sooner or later. Have a short, honest answer ready. Our guide to talking about your record in a job interview walks through how.

Know what a police check shows. Not every job needs one, and a check isn't a pass or fail. Our police checks explainer covers what turns up and what doesn't.

The kind of first job that works

The first job after release doesn't have to be the job you'll have in five years. It needs to be steady, near enough to get to, and with people who'll give you a fair go.

Labour hire can be a good start. With labour hire, a company like Reboot employs you and places you on a client's site. It can get you working sooner, give you recent experience and a reference, and it can lead to a permanent job with the same employer.

Industries that hire people with a record. Construction, mining, logistics and transport, warehousing, manufacturing, hospitality, landscaping and civil works all have employers who hire people with a record. Physical work with clear tasks and a crew around you also helps a lot of people settle back into a routine.

Think about getting there. Parole appointments, no licence, or a long trip on public transport can all make a job fall over in the first fortnight. Be honest with yourself and with the employer about what's realistic.

Keeping the job

Getting the job is the start. The first few months are where most placements succeed or fail.

Turn up, and if you can't, call before your start time, not after. Ask when you don't know something. Keep your parole or community corrections officer in the loop about your work hours. And lean on the people around you: a mentor, a support worker, someone who's been through it.

When Reboot places someone, a mentor with lived experience checks in through the first 90 days, with the worker and with the employer, so small problems get sorted before they turn into reasons to leave.

Where to get help

• Reboot Australia helps people with a record into work across Australia. Here's how it works, and registering is free.
• Your employment services provider can help with job search, training and costs like tickets and work clothes.
• Legal Aid and community legal centres give free advice on things like spent convictions and fines. Find Legal Aid in your state or a community legal centre near you.
• If things are hard right now, there are free, confidential support lines on our get support page.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Payments and services change, so check the details with Services Australia or your provider.