S

DRIVER EDUCATION FOR ADULTS WITH AN INTELLECTUAL

DISABILITY IN A PRISON SETTING:

REDUCING RECIDIVISM

Adam Nobilia: Special Education Teacher

Long Bay Correctional Centre

Malabar NSW

Intellectual Disability definition

S For the purpose of this paper, the term “intellectual

disability” will refer to adults who score “approximately

two standard deviations or more below the population,

which equals an IQ score of about 70 or below” (DSM-5).

Population

S 41 male inmates with an intellectual disability were

interviewed in relation to their driver’s licence status and

their driving history. All inmates from this study were

housed at Long Bay Correctional Centre in the Additional

Support Unit.

S The average age of the 41 participants in this study was

30. The oldest participant was 63 and the youngest 19.

Licence history Findings from the 41 inmates interviewed

Never Held Licence, 76%

Licence, Not Current

12%

Current Licence

12%

Never Held Licence Current licence Licence Not Current

Of the 37 people who had never held a licence,

(81 %) reported driving a car unlicensed. Of those

30 people, 20 (66.6 %) had been charged for

driving unlicensed at least once.

30

20

6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Driven Unlicenced Been Charged for driving unlicenced Never Driven a car

Fig 2: Driven a car in NSW?

Reasons for not having a

licence

Can’t Read, 58.50%

Fines/ Suspended

or Disqualified.

24.30%

No Identification Documents,

17.20%

History of Program

S The RTA (now known as the RMS) Learner’s licensing program

was introduced into the Additional Support Unit in 2008.

S The ASU received an RTA laptop with the Driver’s Knowledge

test (DKT) program installed and a knowledge test update cd

was sent monthly to ensure that students were practising on the

most current version.

S The practice test has the capacity to read the questions aloud

which allows students with reading difficulties the opportunity to

complete the test independently.

S From 2008 until 2011 Students could leave custody with their

licence. This agreement no longer exists.

Success stories

S During the period from 2008 to 2011 eight people were successful in obtaining their licence.

S Six of the eight people considered themselves to be “non-readers” prior to commencing the course and all six passed without the assistance of the voice reader or staff support.

S More importantly, of the 8 successful students, only one has returned to custody since that time, whilst one student is yet to be released.

6

1 1

Not returnedto cusotdy

returned tocustody

Not yetreleased

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Current Practice in the

Additional Support Unit

(ASU) S When a student joins the RMS driver education group they receive an up to date

colour printed copy of the Road User’s Handbook and a road signs spelling book.

S They receive a personal folder with the “Get Licenced, Get Legal, Get work” workbook, Students with outstanding SDRO fines are registered for a Work and Development Order (WDO). Fines are paid at a rate of $50 per hour provided a student is attentive for the whole session.

S A referral is made to the Services and Programs officer (SAPO) to assist the student to apply for their identification documents including a birth certificate, Medicare Card, A disability Support Pension Card if they do not have them.

S Students are enrolled into “NSWTPSS102B: Apply Safety awareness and Literacy Skills for Driving” as a part of the Certificate I in Access to Work and Training Course. If students are at Certificate II level, they will be enrolled in a reading and writing module from the Certificate II in Access to Work and Training.

Workbook

Workbook

Workbook

Activity Match the Road sign to the

photo then spell the word

Photos

Photos

Principles of Adult Learning

Work and Development

Orders

S In accordance with the SDRO guidelines, students that engage in Educational, Vocational or

Lifestyle courses are able to pay off their fines at a rate of $50 per hour. Students can pay off their fines at a maximum of $1000 per month.

S To be eligible for a WDO according the SDRO, sponsors must be able to demonstrate one of the following categories for each participant:

S Proof of mental illness

S Proof of intellectual disability or cognitive impairment

S Proof of homelessness

S Proof of acute economic hardship

S Proof of serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or volatile substances.

Students in the Additional Support Unit have sufficient evidence of their disability prior to joining one of the Units. Sadly, most participants in the ASU are eligible for a WDO for more than one of the stated eligibility criteria.

Current Outstanding Debt

$93,009.13

$5,813.07

$0.00

$10,000.00

$20,000.00

$30,000.00

$40,000.00

$50,000.00

$60,000.00

$70,000.00

$80,000.00

$90,000.00

$100,000.00

Total outstanding Debt in the ASU Average Debt per person

Fig 5: Outstanding SDRO Debt for the ASU in September 2015

S The highest outstanding debt from the group currently stands at $27,

250 with the lowest amount outstanding, $806

OUTSTANDING WDOs

Most Common reasons for

wanting a licence

S“Having a licence will assist me in getting a job”

S“Having a licence will help me keep in contact with my family including my children”.

S“I can play sport again”

Reported benefits of completing the

Driver Education course

S Participants begin the process of obtaining their identification

documents, such as their birth certificates, Medicare card, and pension cards.

S The course includes thorough information on alcohol, drugs and driving and gives students another reason to reduce their use of alcohol and drugs post- release.

S Improved computer skills and awareness through autonomous use of the RMS practice test computer.

S Greater confidence in their ability to learn new information and therefore an increased likelihood of continuing their education through TAFE or other training organisations post-release.

S Improved confidence to apply for a job post-release.

Driver Education and the LSIR-

R

S Criminal history

S Education/Employm

ent

S Financial

S Family/Marital

S Accommodation

S Leisure/Recreation

S Companions

S Alcohol/Drug

problems

S Emotional Personal

S Attitudes/Orientation.

S Of these ten factors predicting recidivism, Driver Education within prison has the potential to reduce an offender’s risk in the following four domains:

Conclusions: How does

Driver Education reduce

recidivism?

SHaving a driver’s licence prevents

a person driving illegally on the

road. Therefore, there will be no

breach of parole and no additional

charges in relation to driving

unlicensed.

Where to from here?

S AEVTI is currently working to re-establish a working

relationship with the RMS so that students who complete

their licence test in custody will be eligible to receive a

licence prior to leaving gaol.

S Driver mentoring programs where unrestricted licence

holders volunteer their time to assist learner drivers gain

the knowledge, confidence and experience to drive a car.

This would be particularly beneficial for drivers under 21

who are required to complete 120 hours of supervised

practice before attempting the driving test.

S

Thanks for listening Please see me afterwards if you’re interested in handouts and educational

resources