The Te Piriti Special Treatment unit, based at Auckland Prison, is a 60 bed special treatment unit for child sex offenders.
Te Piriti means ‘The Bridge, a crossing over to a better life’. This name was given to the Special Treatment Unit by Ngati Whatua, one of the primary iwi of Tamaki Makaurau where the unit is situated. The programme was established in 1994.
The unit has a strong focus on promoting a therapeutic environment within a tikanga Maori framework.
International and New Zealand research has shown that cognitive-behavioural rehabilitation programmes can produce significant reductions towards the rate of re-offending for child sex offenders.
The Te Piriti Unit was established to:
• Treat men who have committed sexual offences against children.
• Help participants avoid re-offending.
Aims
The Te Piriti programme aims to reduce re-offending by:
• Motivating offenders to want to change by addressing the risks and effects of their individual offending.
• Reducing the recidivism risk of men who have sexually abused children using intensive group treatment that targets risk factors associated with re-offending.
• Increasing the safety for children in society by providing offenders with lifelong skills that will assist them to manage their risk factors.
The programme
Research has proven that programmes, activities and therapy are most effective when matched with a prisoner's rehabilitative needs, characteristics and demographics including their cultural background.
• The Te Piriti programme offers a wide range of restorative activities to increase the responsivity of Maori offenders in particular, such as waiata (song), whakapapa (genealogy) and whakairo (carving).
• The therapeutic approach of the Te Piriti programme considers the physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing of all prisoners participating in the programme.
• The Te Piriti mainstream programme is presented in a rolling group format for up to ten participants per group. It addresses the risk factors for re-offending that were identified for individual participants, who progress through the programme at a pace commensurate with their social and related skills. The average time spent in intensive therapy is about six months, while additional time may be required for orientation when prisoners arrive at the unit, and maintenance or consolidation of acquired skills after completing the core programme phase.
• In addition one adapted programme per year is presented to prisoners with intellectual disabilities or significant learning problems. This programme is presented in a conventional group format with up to six participants.
• Both therapy programmes at Te Piriti are entirely group-based, as research has shown that this is more effective.
• Participants undertake the group treatment programme within the context of a therapeutic community, run by prison staff. However standard prison rights and regulations apply, such as cell inspections, prison clothing and regular work routines. Education and recreation programmes are also available.
• During their stay at Te Piriti, participants are expected to take on roles in the therapeutic community that are considered beneficial for their progress in the programme. This may include employment, recreation and cultural activities as well as activities to benefit the unit and the therapeutic community, e.g. assist with cleaning and decorating unit buildings.
Effective treatment
Research from 2001 indicates that prisoners who participate in the Te Piriti treatment programme are significantly less likely to re-offend. Only 5.47 per cent of the prisoners who had completed the Te Piriti programme had re-offended, compared with 21 per cent amongst prisoners who had not been through the programme.
Eligibility
To be admitted to the Te Piriti Unit prisoners must:
• Be convicted of, or have admitted to, one or more sexual offences against someone under the age of 16.
• Volunteer for treatment.
• Admit to their offending.
• Must not suffer from mental health illness or intellectual disability that would interfere with programme participation.
• Have an ASRS (Automated Sexual Recidivism Scale) risk rating of medium-low (2) or higher.
• Have a STABLE score that elevates their risk rating to low-medium or higher if their ASRS score is lower than 2.
• Be 20 years and over (18 – 20 year old prisoners can be considered on a case-by-case basis).
Prisoner obligations
Prisoners admitted to the Te Piriti Unit must:
• Undergo psychological assessment over a two to three week period once they have arrived at the unit for purposes of attending the treatment programme. The assessment includes a series of clinical interviews, beginning with the inmate's personal views towards their offending.
• Abide by the rules applying in the therapeutic community at all times.
• Be honest about their offending and open to changing problematic patterns of behaviour.
• Support other participants to address the issues that contribute to their offending behaviour.
• Not be involved in any drug or other illegal activity.
• Not be involved in any sexual activity in the unit.
• Not use threatening or violent behaviour (men who do use violence or repeated threats of violence can be evicted from the programme).
• Understand that they can refuse further treatment and are free to withdraw from the programme at any time.
General information
• Te Piriti provides a full-time cultural consultant who has the responsibility of delivering, monitoring, reinforcing and maintaining the culturally specific aspects of the programme.
• Once they are released from prison, Te Piriti graduates are in most cases required to attend monthly relapse prevention support groups facilitated by trained Probation Officers.
• Corrections Officers at Te Piriti receive special ongoing training towards managing child sex offenders.
• Most prisoners attend a Parole Board hearing while at Te Piriti and depending on the Board’s decision, usually await release there.
• Prisoners completing the programme also serve a minimum parole period of 6 months after release.
• Every prisoner leaves the programme with a reintegration plan which includes approved support people, follow up sessions with Probation Officers, and mandatory attendance to support groups, as conditions of their parole. After completing the programme participants may be referred to community based psychologists during their parole period ensuring continued psychological treatment and support in the community.
• More than 590 men have completed the programme.
• Te Piriti is one of two special treatment units for men who offended sexually against children. The other, Kia Marama, is based at Rolleston Prison in Christchurch.