Corrections established the Regional Prisons Development Project to construct four new corrections facilities to accommodate an increasing prison population. The new facilities will add more than 1,600 beds to the prison system.
OCF will provide an additional 335 beds for male prisoners, and has been purpose built to meet their rehabilitative needs. It will accommodate prisoners with low to high-medium security classifications.
Construction of OCF began with earthworks in January 2005. Building started in April 2005, and was completed by March 2007. During peak construction, over 600 people worked on the site.
Like all the new facilities, OCF was constructed using a Collaborative Working Arrangement (CWA) contracting methodology. A CWA is an integrated project delivery team made up of Corrections and various construction partners.
Corrections - construction partners for OCF included:
Architects - Perumal Pedavoli
Earthworks and Construction - Hawkins Construction Limited
Civil works - Fulton Hogan
Security - Honeywell New Zealand Limited
OCF incorporates design and features that are intended to be most effective in terms of safety, security and rehabilitation.
The design is consistent with modern prison design internationally and the Department's experience operating NZ prisons.
OCF is deliberately designed quite differently from traditional prisons. It is basically a big, secure enclosure with a range of separate units set in a large open space within a perimeter fence or wall. Accommodation units are clustered around centrally located services such as kitchens, industry areas and programme rooms.
The entire facility is enclosed by a highly secure perimeter fence with a single controlled point of entry.
This secure perimeter allows a more open internal prison environment, where prisoners can move through a planned day. This protects the public and staff, reduces stress and prisoner management issues and provides a more effective environment for treatment, training and work programmes.
OCF supports rehabilitation by providing an environment conducive to a structured day, with staff interaction with prisoners focused on sentence plan objectives.
Prisoners move through their daily routines - working, training, recreation, attending health appointments - and are responsible for getting to and completing their work and programmes as prescribed in their sentence plans.
Education, training and employment are important features of a structured day - a target of 40% has been set for prisoner employment and training activity in new facilities.
A range of educative, rehabilitative and reintegrative programmes are provided including:
Employment opportunities for OCF are still being finalised, but will include:
Eligible prisoners at OCF will be able to participate in the Release to Work programme. This programme allows minimum security prisoners to be released to work during the day in ordinary jobs in the community. This provides prisoners with a stable work record and job experience, and, in many cases, the job is carried on when the prisoner leaves prison.
OCF supports reintegration of prisoners back into the community by providing as normal an environment as is possible in a prison, providing more employment opportunities and bringing the community into prison.
Reintegration caseworkers will work with high-need prisoners to prepare for their reintegration into the community after release. Caseworkers help prisoners to address problems likely to increase their risk of re-offending - common needs include accommodation, employment, managing relationships, community support, and managing finances.
A Work and Income work broker and a Ministry of Social Development case manager will be based permanently on the site to help prisoners look for suitable work before they are released.
Community Probation Service staff work with prisoners after release to support their reintegration.
Prisoners nearing release may be accommodated in the self-care units at OCF. Self-care units teach prisoners independent living skills by taking and sharing responsibility for their living arrangements with a small group of peers in a flatting-type situation.
The active involvement of the community is important in the operation of OCF because of the significant role family, whanau and friends have in reducing re-offending and assisting prisoner reintegration into the community.
Corrections has established a community liaison group for the development of OCF in conjunction with community members, local councils, and local police. This group will be an ongoing point of community input and involvement with OCF.
A range of community groups and individuals will work with prisoners both before and after their release.
The Department has developed OCF in partnership with local iwi representatives Otakou.
In their role as guardian or Kaitiaki, Otakou have been actively involved in the development and construction of OCF and have an ongoing connection to it through the rehabilitation and reintegration programmes that operate there.
A phased build up of prisoners has been planned for OCF in order to fully test it and ensure it is fit-for-purpose prior to the receipt of large numbers of prisoners. The first group of prisoners will be accepted to OCF in June 2007. Numbers will gradually increase until capacity is reached, in November 2007.