Working as the Pentridge Prison chaplain for 30 years, Father Brosnan was acutely aware of the need to support young offenders upon their release from prison. ‘There are three things needed by people upon their release,’ he often said, ‘a place to live that is decent, a job that they can handle and friendship, and the hardest to provide is friendship.’
The Jesuit Order had already responded to these needs by setting up the Four Flats program in Hawthorn in 1977. Four Flats was a small halfway house for young men released from prison and juvenile justice centres. Following Father Brosnan’s retirement from Pentridge in 1985, funds were raised to extend the Four Flats program and establish the Brosnan Centre, which opened in 1987. At present 25 staff (mostly youth and social workers) continue to support young offenders aged 17–25.
The centre targets those who are at most risk of reoffending upon release. These young people often come from families where there is a history of abuse, violence, or family break-down where their parents have been unable to take care of them. Many have spent much of their youth in institutions, or moving between foster homes. In other cases, their offences have led them to be rejected by their families.
‘These young people are one of the most needy groups. One of the most fragile and vulnerable,’ says Brosnan Centre manager Peter Coghlan. ‘To the public they may look and act tough, but what’s under the surface? That’s all a sign of being vulnerable or fragile … Social justice is about really putting your neck on the line for people who need you.’
The key to the Brosnan Centre’s success is establishing a trusting relationship between the young people and the workers at the centre. The centre pioneered the practice of prerelease engagement with young offenders—workers regularly visit prisons and juvenile justice centres to begin building these relationships.
Brosnan Centre workers devise an individual ‘exit’ plan for young offenders, which includes assistance with accommodation, vocational training and employment, drug, alcohol and mental health problems. The workers ensure that the young person has the necessary paperwork for Centrelink, Medicare, and a bank account. Upon release, the centre provides basic material needs such as clothing, food, transport tickets and telephone cards.
The centre directly assists young people to find information about suitable employment arrangements including supported employment schemes, courses and jobs. Supported accommodation for releasees