00:02Shannon Purcell has spent most of his life in and out of prison, on charges escalating from trespassing and burglary
00:09to drug trafficking.
00:10I wouldn't have went any longer than two or three months without having a curfew and having a court date.
00:17Each time he was released, the stress of trying to adapt to normal life pushed him back to old habits
00:23and eventually back behind bars.
00:25It's just a revolving door pretty much, you know, you're just in that cycle going round and round.
00:32Tasmania has one of the highest re-offending rates in Australia, with nearly half of all prisoners returning to jail
00:39within two years of their release.
00:41I think for decades now the resources that are spent on programs within the Tasmanian prison system have not been
00:50adequate.
00:52Brendan Sullivan runs one of those support programs, meeting with inmates before and after their release to teach communication skills.
00:59If we can support someone to give them more capacity and skill around having better conversations, they get better outcomes
01:07in their life.
01:08The monthly catch-ups have been huge for Shannon, who's now gone a year and a half without re-offending.
01:14This is probably the best I've felt and done in 20 years.
01:20A state government spokesperson says prisoners can access a range of programs and most get ongoing support following their release.
01:28But advocates say more investment is needed.
01:31So without the support, without the re-skilling, nothing's going to change.
01:36Calling for support to help former prisoners break the cycle.
01:44Nil-
01:44K Doncic
01:44K Doncic
