Reintegration Unit Profile

What is a Reintegration Unit?

A Reintegration Unit is a prison facility that provides prisoners, who are nearing their release date, with an environment that allows them to become more self-sufficient, responsible and independent in preparation for their release into the community.

Why have Reintegration Units?

Reintegration Units aim to reduce re-offending by increasing a prisoner’s general competence, self-responsibility and self-reliance before they are released into the community.

Where are the Reintegration Units located?

Reintegration units are located at Rimutaka Prison and Mt Eden Prison.

Rimutaka Prison Reintegration Unit

The Rimutaka Prison Reintegration Unit comprises 60 beds. It provides intensive reintegration services to male adult prisoners who have 12 months or less to serve of their sentence and, have three or more reintegration needs or one complex integration need, that requires specialist attention. The unit also accommodates prisoners who are aged 18 and 19 and have less than 12 months of their sentence remaining.

Mt Eden Prison Reintegration Unit

Mt Eden Prison Reintegration Unit (MERU) comprises 70 beds for male adult prisoners. There are 14 beds dedicated to prisoners who have a maximum of six to 12 weeks remaining of their sentence and will be released into the Auckland region. These may be prisoners who have served the majority of their sentence in a prison outside of Auckland. The remaining 56 beds are allocated to male prisoners who have less than 12 months of their sentence to serve, and are planned to participate in the Release to Work programme, and will be released into the Auckland region.

How do prisoners move into the Rimutaka Prison Reintegration Unit?

Eligible prisoners can apply to move into the Rimutaka Prison Reintegration Unit by placing a formal request themselves or via referral from a Sentence Planner or Case Officer.

Reintegration prisoners must:

• have either an AB or AA security classification;
• not have a current Identified Drug User (IDU) status;
• have less than 12 months left of their prison sentence; and have either:
  • three or more reintegration needs; or
  • one complex reintegration need that requires specialist intervention; or
  • are aged 18 or 19.

Release to Work prisoners must:

• have a minimum (AA) security classification;
• not have a current IDU status;
• be a low external risk (eg. consider public profile and escape history);
• be willing to engage in Release to Work (RtW) or community work parties prior to RtW;
• have less than 12 months remaining of their prison sentence; and
• meet RtW eligibility and suitability criteria.

How do prisoners move into the Mt Eden Prison Reintegration Unit?

Eligible prisoners can move into MERU by placing a formal request themselves or via referral from a Sentence Planner or Case Officer.

Reintegration prisoners must :

• have a minimum (AA) security classification;
• have no current IDU status;
• have a low external risk (i.e. consider public profile and escape history);
• intend to reside in Auckland on release (note: this can include an Auckland-originating prisoner currently serving a sentence in a prison outside of Auckland);
• have reintegration needs that are best met by serving the end of the sentence in Auckland; and
• have a maximum of six weeks remaining of their sentence.

Release to Work prisoners must:

• have a minimum (AA) security classification;
• have no current IDU status;
• have a low external risk (eg. consider public profile and escape history);
• be pre-approved for RtW or meet RtW eligibility and suitability criteria;
• be serving the last 12 months of their sentence or if they have a sentence of less than two years, they must have served a quarter of their sentence; and
• intend to reside in Auckland on release (note: this can include an Auckland-originating prisoner who is serving a sentence in a prison outside of Auckland).

Prisoner obligations Prisoners who enter Reintegration Units have agreed to work towards their reintegration into the community in a manner that is likely to reduce re-offending and which utilises the knowledge and skills they have gained through prison programmes and services.

Prisoners are required to sign a Prisoner Reintegration Contract, before entering the Reintegration Units, and must comply with this throughout their time within the unit. These contracts stipulate that a prisoner must:

• comply with the rules of the Reintegration Unit;
• remain drug free; and
• work towards their reintegration goals.

Reintegration Unit benefits Rimutaka Prison Reintegration Unit offers the following opportunities to prisoners:

• to join community work gangs which service local areas;
• to become involved in the internal work scheme which involves building a variety of products for local charities eg. dog kennels for SPCA;
• to engage in case conferencing which involves the prisoner, their ‘significant others’ and government agencies getting together to work through a release plan;
• to engage in the Release to Work programme; and
• to access the services of the Regional Reintegration Team, Work and Income staff and Housing New Zealand.

MERU offers the following opportunities to prisoners:

• to engage in the Release to Work programme;
• to become involved in internal work within the prison;
• to access the services of the Regional Reintegration Team;
• to have visits with Auckland family and friends;
• to engage in courses such as living skills, anger management, CV writing, literacy and numeracy; and
• to access a number of agencies such as Inland Revenue Department, Housing New Zealand, Child Support, Work and Income, tutor programmes staff and social workers.

For more details refer to:

• 2006/36 - Mt Eden Prison - Reintegration Unit
• Release to Work

Contact details

Rimutaka Prison Reintegration Unit:

Unit Manager, Reintegration Unit
DDI: 04 528 1300

Mt Eden Reintegration Unit:

Unit Manager, Reintegration Unit
DDI: 09 638 1000