In 2022, 828 prisoners will have followed a trajectory to work through the Flemish government’s “aan de bak” program. This is evident from a question from Flemish Member of Parliament Allessia Claes (N-VA) to Minister of Work Jo Brouns (CD&V). The N-VA member of parliament is hopeful, according to her, all talents should be used to the maximum. “But we do not know the effect of the program. Due to a lack of data, we cannot analyze the results,” she regrets.
Studies have shown that work for ex-prisoners is essential for a successful reintegration into society. That is why VDAB launched a campaign in prisons in 2001 that focuses on talent development and work. The program bridges the gap between prison and the labor market. Together with the detainee who will be allowed to leave prison in the foreseeable future, a detention consultant prepares a route to work.
“We only know who is coming in. Due to a lack of data, we cannot map out the results. After all, the VDAB is not allowed to process criminal data,” Claes regrets. “This makes an evidence-based policy impossible.”
“untapped potential”
Most of the prisoners who followed “get to work” programs, 623 out of 828, went to employment counseling for low-skilled prisoners. People often choose to follow training to become an assistant cook, roofer, professional cleaning technician or road worker.
In the past year, 112 prisoners over the age of 50 were also accompanied to work. “Detainees already experience a lot of barriers on the labor market anyway. People over 50 often experience an extra barrier due to their age. I therefore think it is very positive that they are not forgotten,” says Claes.
She also stresses that there is still “a lot of untapped potential”. “There are about 10,000 convicted prisoners and there are 45 releases every day, that’s about 16,500 releases a year.”
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