The Department’s vision is:
Improving public safety by ensuring sentence compliance and reducing re-offending, through capable staff and effective partnerships.
Underlying this is the commitment that to succeed overall, Corrections must succeed with Mâori offenders. Mâori make up close to half of the offenders dealt with by Corrections.
Ensuring offenders comply fully with their sentences is essential in keeping the community safe from those who could threaten it. It also makes offenders face the consequences of their actions.
When compared internationally, the Department's performance in ensuring sentence compliance within prisons is good.
However, almost all offenders dealt with by Corrections will be released back into the community at some stage so it is important Corrections strives to help offenders to live an offence-free life.
There is no doubt that trying to get offenders to change what has often been long-term behaviour is challenging and complex but research has shown that imprisonment alone does not act as a deterrent to offenders.
The Department has used its own research and international studies to develop programmes and services for offenders in prison and on community sentences that are designed to reduce re-offending. These programmes aim to help offenders make changes such as:
Corrections staff also work closely with offenders, using their day-to-day interactions to set a positive example.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of imprisonment among OECD countries (higher than Australia and the United Kingdom). The cost of crime and imprisonment to the community is huge but every success Corrections has in reducing re-offending means fewer victims of crime and safer communities in the future.
Ultimately, it is people who will help Corrections succeed in its goals. Our staff have extensive experience and expertise. The continual growth and development of this pool of knowledge is vital for Corrections to keep innovating and discovering better ways of working.
Corrections aims to have high performing staff who understand the Department’s goals and focus their work to help achieve them.
This aim is supported by a robust infrastructure and governance.
Aware it cannot achieve its goals on its own, Corrections is highly focused on not only working closely with other justice-sector and Government agencies but also groups and individuals in the community who share the Department’s focus.
Good partnerships will be seen in Corrections' work with offenders, with offenders' families and whanau, and the communities where offenders live or will return to. The Department will also work creatively with employers and training providers to give offenders the best opportunities for rehabilitation.
Strong partnerships and a collaborative working style will achieve better outcomes for the community as well as benefits such as promoting innovation based on a range of perspectives and providing access to expertise from outside the Department..