Doing better in reducing Māori reoffending has been given special priority in the Department’s strategy and planning, because Māori make up almost half of the offenders the Department manages, both in the community and in prison.
This underlies the Department’s commitment that “to succeed, we must succeed for Māori”.
Māori representation in the criminal justice sector
Statistically, Māori are over-represented at every stage of the criminal justice process beginning at the apprehension stage. The extent of over-representation gradually increases through consecutive phases, including at prosecution, conviction and sentencing to imprisonment.
Figure 5: Rates of Māori representation at each stage of the criminal justice process
Māori comprise 40 percent of all Police apprehensions, and are apprehended for committing at least three times the number of offences as non-Māori. Māori also receive fewer warnings/cautions or diversions than non-Māori.
Differences are also apparent in convictions data with 12 percent of all convictions against Māori resulting in a custodial sentence, compared to 8 percent for European and Pacific peoples.
The over-representation of Māori offenders on custodial and community sentences and orders increased steadily from the mid-1950s, and over the past 20 years the proportion in the prison population has remained stubbornly around 50 percent.
Research shows that more than 30 percent of all Māori males between the ages of 20 and 29 years have a record of serving one or more sentences administered by the Department of Corrections; the corresponding figure for non-Māori is around 10 percent.
On any given day throughout the last decade, an average of 3 percent of all Māori males between the ages of 20 and 29 years were in prison, either on remand or as sentenced prisoners; again, the corresponding figure for non-Māori is less than one sixth of that.
Succeeding with Māori across all areas of our business is therefore a key priority for the Department.
Ensuring Sentence Compliance – looking forward
The recent strengthening of community sentences has reduced the imprisonment rates for all offenders, particularly for those previously receiving shorter terms of imprisonment. This should have a particular impact for Māori offenders as they are
currently more likely to be sentenced to shorter terms.
Motivating Māori offenders to comply with sentences is an important aspect of compliance. Collaboration through our partnerships with relevant agencies and Māori communities (whānau, hapū and iwi) is a key element.
Reducing Re-offending – looking forward
The Department’s more intensive rehabilitation programmes are as effective for Māori offenders as they are for non-Māori offenders. Increasing the motivation and participation rates of Māori offenders in the Department’s rehabilitation programmes is therefore a key priority.
The Department also delivers a range of programmes and services that reconnect Māori offenders to Māori culture as a lever to motivate positive change. These programmes have been developed in collaboration with Māori service providers, community and iwi groups. They include Tikanga Māori programmes teaching cultural knowledge, skills and identity.
Māori Focus Units within prisons provide a “therapeutic community”-type environment in which Māori culture is the basis for productive daily routines and interactions. The more intensive Māori Therapeutic Programmes, delivered within Māori Focus Units, seek to change offending-related attitudes and behaviour.
Evidence from evaluations shows that culturally enriched programmes strengthen the cultural identity of Māori offenders, improve their attitudes and behaviours, and motivate them to participate in other forms of rehabilitation.
Alongside opportunities for Māori offenders to develop a positive cultural identity, it is equally important for Māori offenders to learn skills that are applicable to wider society that will help to reduce re-offending.
In particular, the Department is focusing on improving literacy and numeracy skills and the employment and training skills of Māori offenders. Māori prisoner participation in employment and training opportunities is being prioritised.
Enhancing Capability – looking forward
As highlighted previously in this briefing, a quarter of the Department’s workforce identify as Māori, making the Department the single largest core agency employer of Māori staff within the public sector. Whilst recruitment strategies continue to target Māori communities, the emphasis is now placed on the development of Māori staff into more senior leadership roles within the Department.
It is equally important that all staff have the confidence to work with whānau, hapū, iwi and other Māori community groups.
Within Community Probation and Psychological Services, specialist probation officer positions known as Kaiwhakahaere have been appointed to assist fellow probation staff in establishing effective relationships with Māori offenders and their whānau, to support sentence compliance and reduce re-offending.
Strengthening Partnerships – looking forward
Central to our efforts to reduce re-offending by Māori, the Department has built collaborative working relationships with hapū and iwi, Māori community providers, Māori volunteers and other government and community agencies.
Following a review of the Department’s Māori advisory capacity, a Maori Services Team has been established to support and enhance the quality of services for the rehabilitation and reintegration of Maori offenders, including effective linking to tribal and sub-tribal groups, with a particular emphasis on Maori prisoner reintegration. The team comprises a National Manager, three Regional Relationship Managers and ten Area Advisers.
A network of Māori volunteers (or Kaiwhakamana) is linked with local prisons and provides direct cultural advice and support to Māori offenders in prison.
Whānau, hapū and iwi provide support to Māori offenders and their whānau for the duration of their sentence, and especially when offenders reintegrate to communities.
Key culture-based programmes and services to support rehabilitation are delivered by Māori community service providers both in prisons and communities.
The Department is also strengthening the capability of Māori providers and enabling them to better support the work we do by, for example, facilitating annual regional meetings between Tikanga Māori programme providers.