Prison Services

Prison Services operates the Department's 20 prisons.

It provides the secure, safe and humane containment of prisoners while also working to reduce re-offending. The service is responsible for managing the sentence needs of each offender including rehabilitation and preparation for reintegration into the community upon release from prison.

Prison Services employs around 4,055 staff across New Zealand, including around 3,262 Corrections Officers and 164 nurses.

The General Manager Prison Services is Harry Hawthorn.

In the 2007/08 financial year:

• Corrections managed 20 prisons capable of accommodating up to 9,131 sentenced and remand prisoners
   
• of these 20 prisons, 17 are for men and three for women
   
• Corrections managed 20,653 new prison-based sentences
   
• The average prison population was 7,864
   
• Māori comprised 50 per cent of the prison population
   
• Women prisoners comprised six per cent of the prison population
   
• 44 per cent of prisoners were less than 30 years old
   
• The average annual cost of keeping an offender in prison was $90,747.