Information on imprisonment

Imprisonment of offenders is the most serious sentence or order available to the courts.

In the 2007/2008 financial year Corrections managed 20,653 new prison-based sentences (new sentences and remand periods) across 20 prisons throughout New Zealand.

Seventeen of the prisons are for men and three for women. In total they can accommodate 9,131 prisoners.

The average prison population in the 2007/2008 financial year was 7,864.

The following graph shows the number of prisoners by most serious offence type for the 2007/08 financial year.

Prisons must be secure and humane
Public safety is Corrections’ priority when managing prison-based sentences and orders. Corrections is required to provide a secure and humane environment for prisoners and prison conditions are tightly regulated by law and international convention.

However, Corrections also works to reduce re-offending by putting prisoners – most of whom must eventually be released – through rehabilitation programmes addressing the causes of their offending and reintegration initiatives to help them return to the community on release from prison.

These include:

• Drug Treatment Units
   
• Māori Focus Units and a range of Māori culture-based programmes
   
• A range of specialist units including Youth Units, Self-Care Units, the Faith-based Unit and a Pacific Focus Unit
   
• Kia Marama and Te Piriti child-sex offender units
   
• The Puna Tatari and Karaka Special Treatment Units for offenders who have repeatedly committed a range of serious crimes
   
• A Violence Prevention Unit
   
• A range of programmes including the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme, Short Motivational Programme and Short Rehabilitation Programme for men and women
   
• The FOCUS thinking-skills course for young offenders

Reintegration initiatives aim to help prisoners prepare for their return to the community on release from prison. In addition to a range of programmes covering topics such as living, budgeting, and parenting skills, prisoners are also helped by:

• reintegration teams from Work and Income working with offenders to find them work on release
   
• reintegration caseworkers who help prisoners prepare for their return to the community after release from prison
   
• Self-Care Units teaching offenders independent living skills within a secure prison environment, giving them the responsibility to budget, prepare meals, and co-operate with others.

Types of prisoner
Offenders may be imprisoned as remand or sentenced prisoners:

• sentenced prisoners have been convicted and sentenced by the courts to a period of imprisonment
   
• remand prisoners are offenders who are being held in prison while waiting for their trial or sentencing

Release of prisoners
Corrections does not decide when prisoners are released. Their release is determined by the sentencing laws, the sentencing judge, and the Parole Board.

The following table details when prisoners become eligible for release or parole.