Article 13: Evaluation of the Community Based Health and First Aid ‘Sisters for Change’ Program (ACJ14-A013)
Abstract
The Community-based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) programme empowers prisoners to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of their prison community. Prisoners in the CBHFA programme train to become Special Status Red Cross volunteers within their correctional facility. The programme brings prisoners, prison staff and Australian Red Cross together to identify, develop and implement health and wellbeing projects for their prison community. The programme is modelled on the acclaimed Irish Red Cross Prisons Programme that won the 2011 World Health Organization Award for best practice in prison health. The CBHFA programme in Australia is currently delivered at four Australian prisons. At the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre (TWCC) in Queensland, the CBHFA programme is called ‘Sisters for Change’. This article presents the key findings from an external evaluation of the CBHFA programme that showed significant outcomes for the prison community and beyond. Outcomes included that participants perceived the prison as safer, with fewer prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, and that the programme led to significant improvements in prisoner and officer relations, as well as participants feeling more hopeful and positive about the future, with boosted confidence, self-esteem and life skills. This paper outlines the key findings from Halsey and Bright’s 2020 inaugural evaluation of the Australian programme and identifies factors that other jurisdictions should consider when adopting the CBHFA programme. It will be of interest to correctional policy makers and practitioners alike, as it emphasizes the value of partnerships between the community sector and correctional centres in achieving significant outcomes for prisoners, correctional institutions, and the broader community.
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