Sentenced to a job scheme
The Sentenced to a Job scheme — an initiative of the Country Liberal government — commenced in the Northern Territory last year as part of an overall reform of the prison system. The government is calling on local businesses to employ low-security prisoners and those businesses are eligible for grants to support the scheme. The government encourages local businesses that specialise in food services, laundry, horticulture, mechanical, textiles, upholstery, metal fabrication, number plate production, screen printing, furniture products, construction, maintenance, and packaging and assembly to recruit prisoners while they are serving their sentence. Prisoners who may participate in the scheme are assessed by the Department of Correctional Services and are generally within the last 12 months of their sentence of imprisonment.