Corrections is part of the Government’s justice sector alongside the Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Police, Parole Board, the Crown Law Office, the Serious Fraud Office, Ministry of Social Development (regarding Youth Justice matters) and a number of Crown entities and other agencies.
The list below summarises the roles of some of the other core justice-sector organisations.
Ministry of Justice - develops policy across the justice sector and provides forecasts to Corrections on the future size of the prison population
Police - arrests and prosecutes law-breakers
Courts - tries and sentences offenders and collects fines
Parole Board - decides parole applications
Crown Law Office - represents Corrections in court cases
Child, Youth and Family - manages young offenders
Ombudsman - considers complaints about the treatment of prisoners
The outcomes of the Department, and how they fit into the wider justice sector, are illustrated in the following diagram.
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Part of the international corrections system
The New Zealand Department of Corrections is a member of the Asian and Pacific Conference of Corrections Administrators (APCCA). This is an annual meeting where senior corrections representatives of nations and territories in the Asia-Pacific region gather to discuss corrections issues.
The Department is also a member of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), which provides a forum for criminal justice professionals to join in a dialogue and share ideas and practices aimed at advancing professional corrections.