In the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2015) it was discovered in 2014 that 406 women were currently serving their sentence in Victoria.
Ex-offenders face significant challenges gaining employment after serving their time. Harley (2014) identifies that these challenges are caused by loss of skills through serving time, the development of mental health disorders and other health issues, lack of education, substance abuse, limited work experience and stigma. Graffam, Shinkfield and Hardcastle (2008) state ex-offending persons are disadvantaged when seeking employment due to the stigma held by employers. Eshareturi et al. (2013) agree ex-offenders face barriers to employment due to stigma, lack of education and the inability to reintegrate into the community independently after becoming accustomed to the rules and processes of the prison.
NEW DAY aims to provide support to the ex-offending women of the Frankston by giving them the education and skills they need to succeed in their careers. However, we at NEW DAY cannot without the help of your signature create a community in which policies are changed within local businesses and ex-offending women can make a living for themselves and their families without discrimination or stigma.
