Download Corrections News April 2004 (pdf: 481KB)
Inside:
- New arrivals at prison - what happens?
- Helping clean up after the floods
- Where careers in crime begin
- Prison waste under scrutiny
Employment training is key to success
John was offered a job at a North Island beekeeping business thanks to his experience and training. He took up his new position after leaving the place that taught him all he knows about beekeeping: Ohura Prison.
John's is one of many success stories told by Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) instructors around the country.
CIE’s activities are an integral tool in the Department’s work to achieve one of its core strategic goals - reducing re-offending. Corrections spent almost $42 million on employment activity and related training programmes in the last financial year. Inmate employment activities include forestry, farming and horticulture; light engineering, joinery and construction; and commercial catering, laundry and textile work.
Investment in these programmes is money well spent, according to CIE National Manager, Royden Motu. He points out that prison industries have gone from delivering virtually no industry-recognised qualifications 10 years ago to delivering more than 2,000 NZQA unit standards to inmates during 2002/03.
Inmate employment hours, a key CIE performance indicator, have also improved over time. While there is an increasing awareness of financial performance, delivering training and qualifications to inmates remains CIE’s primary purpose.
Royden says the increased focus on financial performance will ensure CIE builds a sustainable platform for the future.
“Employment hours, qualifications and financial sustainability are part of the same picture. Good performance in all three areas will help CIE continue to provide meaningful training for inmates.
“What we are likely to see over time is CIE operating a smaller range of larger-scale prison industries. This framework will put Corrections in a better position to deliver sustainable, market-based training for inmates long-term,” he explains.
Where we are at: more attention to quality
As you know, since the Department was established we have been through a major cycle of development entailing a wide variety of change. As we move to more settled times our attention will focus towards ways we can improve the quality of what we are doing. Looking at our activities from that perspective can raise many different issues and multi-dimensional ones at that. Not least of which, in forming judgements, is giving things a fair run to see how they settle and getting the problem definition right. If we don’t address the right problem then obviously our proposed solutions will miss the mark and waste energy and resources.
To illustrate the different aspects that will command attention over the coming period to improve quality:
- A key priority must be to embed and consolidate the most recent changes stemming from IOM implementation and sentencing and parole reform. These new approaches to offender management are critical to our future success and will be subject to further review in the out years.
- We must ensure that other core service delivery processes have not been too neglected over recent years because of the attention necessarily directed to major new initiatives. Where there are elements of disrepair they will need to be remedied and brought up to scratch.
- Currently underway is a review of our core information technology system, IOMS. That review will consult quite widely, looking at ways in which existing functionality can be enhanced and new functionality added. You will be aware that over recent years IOMS changes have been driven by the need to support sentencing and parole reform and IOM-related changes, with little time or resource available to address existing systems changes. We are now in a situation to start doing that.
- Important to me personally is people development and here again, with lots of our training dollars being soaked up to support major system changes of past years, more of that money can now be released and spent on refresher work and better equipping people to do their current jobs. Competency enhancement will be given attention and more focus will be given to management and career development.
- We will hope to provide better information to guide us in the management and delivery of services. Whether this is by way of the new Human Resources Information System, which is being progressively put in place or by further development by our data warehouse system, CARS. Obviously it is important to make sure information is as widely available as possible.
- Spending more time on relationships, internal and external, can be valuable in terms of developing a clear understanding of expectations and collaborative behaviour will lead to the effective outcomes being obtained.
- The momentum developed with health and safety in employment matters needs to be maintained. And we must also continue to address issues relating to property development and maintenance so that we don’t fall into a parlous state.
These examples are not exhaustive and will be complemented by evolutionary service delivery policy changes to either better protect the public or reduce re-offending. Standing still is not an option, because that would be an inevitable recipe for degrading our performance potential. But in future we do need to move at a deliberate pace with continued strong attention to quality aspects of all that we do.
Professionalism is one of the key elements of the values statement (PRIDE) associated with our suite of Strategic Business Plans for the period 2003-08. Various aspects of my comments hinge on ways in which we achieve high levels of professionalism in all that we do. Whether it be the way we relate to each other, the way we manage offenders or the standards by which we underpin corporate policies or systems. While there is ample scope for a range of improvements I remain convinced that through your efforts over the last nine years we have a firm platform to build on.
Mark Byers
Chief Executive
Minister views new prison construction
Corrections Minister, Hon. Paul Swain, recently toured the Northland Region Corrections Facility construction site. Construction Manager, Duncan Kenderdine (right), showed Mr Swain (centre) and MP Dover Samuels around the site, including the inmate accommodation units that are taking shape (pictured). The facility will employ around 230 staff, with $10 million expected to flow into the region annually from staff wages. The prison is expected to open early in 2005.
Integration the way to regional successes
What began as an implementation structure for Integrated Offender Management (IOM) is now an effective nationwide integrated management network for the Department.
Three Regional Management Committees (RMCs) - Northern, Central and Southern - have been operating post-IOM implementation for two years, focusing on “business as usual” in a cross-service way, ensuring communication between the Department’s three service delivery arms.
The three committees comprise the Regional Managers from the Public Prisons Service (PPS), Community Probation Service (CPS) and Psychological Service (PS). Corrections Inmate Employment and Intervention Services (programme delivery) managers will also attend RMC meetings.
The RMCs are mirrored at Area level with a Regional Operations Group (ROG) in the Northern Region and Area Management Committees in Southern and Central regions. The ROGs consist of CPS Area Managers, PPS Site Managers and Principal Psychologists. A senior administrator from the New Zealand Parole Board also attends to discuss specific interface issues between the Board and the Department.
“Operational interface issues are best dealt with as close as possible to the actual point of interface, and that is usually the field level,” says Dave East, PPS Wellington Regional Manager, and current chair of the Southern RMC.
“Area committees report to the regional committees and in many respects it is the area committees that make the most significant impact on improving our interservice relationships.”
Marion Dixon, Regional Manager Psychological Service Northern Region, says the decision to retain the regional structure has been “hugely successful.”
“One of the first to feel the benefit of this inter-service approach was the pilot programme for Specialist Māori Cultural Assessment (SMCA),” says Marion, currently chair of the Northern and Central committees. As the RMC boundaries cut across existing PPS, CPS and PS regions, Marion represents PS on two committees.
SMCA is a new tool to help Corrections work more effectively with Māori offenders. It adds to the information presently collected about Māori offenders by focusing on factors which are cultural in origin, but which are not identified by conventional assessment processes.
Similarly, plans for the extended supervision of high risk offenders, where PPS and CPS will be involved, will benefit from this “wrap-around” approach to planning.
The RMCs meet monthly, with each regional manager taking the role of chair for three months. The chair of the ROG also attends, and briefings can also be given by specialist staff covering specific issues.
“The Northern RMC is about to bring the Northern Region Corrections Facility development people into ROG so they also get the benefit of the cross-service approach,” says Marion.
Dave says the Southern RMC works to a well-defined annual work plan. Currently the emphasis is on developing effective working relationships with local iwi and putting systems in place to monitor the quality of inter-service business processes.
“RMCs are proving to be very effective mechanisms for leading improvement initiatives across offender management practices,” says Dave.
Corporate statements on the way
Production is underway on wall versions of the Department’s corporate statements. These will be supplied to all offices and sites over April and May. The corporate statements - comprising vision, values and kaupapa - were revised last year and published in the Strategic Business Plan. The wall versions include one style featuring staff at work, reflecting the vision statement’s focus on people, performance and quality.
Chief Justice meets CEPAG
The Chief Justice of Samoa, Hon. Patu Tiavaasu’e Falefatu Sapolu, met with the Chief Executive’s Pacific Advisory Group (CEPAG) during a brief visit to New Zealand in March.
The Chief Justice discussed matters of importance to the Pacific community with the group and Chief Executive, Mark Byers, and the Department’s Pacific Advisers. The Department’s Pacific Strategy was of special interest to him. He conveyed his appreciation of Corrections’ work towards addressing the needs of Pacific peoples, and his wish to maintain links with the Department.
Offender management: Checking into prison - what happens?
Going to prison can be a frightening and overwhelming experience for first-time inmates. New inmates can be apprehensive, as often their only knowledge of prison life is how it is portrayed on film or television.
So how is a new inmate inducted into prison life?
At Christchurch Prison, the first point of contact between inmate and prison staff is at the receiving gatehouse, where the paperwork and people are provisionally checked.
“Checking warrants and identities is absolutely key,” says Christchurch Prison Receiving Officer, Alex Millar. “You’re checking that you’re not imprisoning the wrong person.”
Inmates are escorted into a holding cell and then wait to be individually processed. By law, the Receiving Office is required to be open from 7am to 8pm. Christchurch Prison operates three eight-hour staff shifts to ensure the smooth flow of inmates into the system.
Good communication between the Police and Receiving Office gives receiving staff an indication whether to expect a flood or trickle of inmates from court that day.
“We had 32 arrivals on the afternoon shift not so long ago,” says Alex. However, two to four arrivals per shift is the norm, with each inmate taking between 45 minutes to an hour to process.
Christchurch Prison Senior Corrections Officer and former Receiving Officer, Cheryl Johnstone says some inmates can be hard to deal with.
“Many are detoxing from drugs when they arrive and so may be in a state of stress and shock.”
Because of this, a “risk assessment” is required to be carried out within four hours of the inmates’ arrival. The receiving officer has to determine if an inmate is at risk of self-harm. Instinct and experience plays a large part in determining whether they are a risk to themselves and/or others.
“You take them into a room and talk with them. Part of it is judgements based on experience and observations of behaviour and expressions,” says Alex.
All new inmates are searched for contraband items, such as weapons, drugs and cell phones. “Searches are conducted as per the Public Prisons Manual and two officers must be present.”
An immediate needs assessment is completed, where such things as childcare arrangements, giving notice on a flat and stopping benefits can be arranged for inmates.
Some arrive ill-prepared for a prison sentence, having believed they would receive a fine or community-based sentence in court that day.
“It’s not unusual for them to have left the kids at court,” says Alex.
The prison nurse carries out a health check on all new arrivals. Blood pressure, weight and eyesight are checked and medical problems and medication needs are discussed.
Once the receiving process is complete, the inmate is entitled to one telephone call and is then escorted to his or her assigned unit.
An induction interview is conducted at the unit that, among other things, explains prison rules, inmates’ rights and how items like tobacco can be purchased. “The settling-in process depends on the inmate. Some are quite needy and require a lot of support, while others are remarkable and just get on with prison life,” says Cheryl.
With 31 years of experience between them, both Alex and Cheryl say that, while the role of receiving and corrections officers has changed, the team approach is still essential.
“There’s more paperwork now and our role is more like a social worker at times. However, I enjoy my job because there’s far more to it than just locking people up,” Cheryl says.
|
Inmate arrives at prison. Provisional name to “body” and warrant of imprisonment check made in the gate house area. |
|
Inmates transferred to the prison holding cells. |
|
Inmates hand over personal belongings, which are logged and stored until their release. |
|
Inmate is searched for contraband items. |
|
Inmate details such as weight, height and distinguishing characteristics are logged on the Department’s computer system. |
|
The prison nurse completes a health check. |
|
A risk assessment is completed. |
|
An immediate needs assessment is conducted. |
|
Inmate gets one free telephone call. |
|
Receiving Office process is complete. The inmate is transferred to their accommodation unit. |
|
|
Inmate is given bedding, kit and cutlery. |
Offenders help clean up flood-struck North Island
February’s devastating floodwaters have gone, but the recovery effort continues in the central and lower North Island. Prisons and Community Probation offices from across the region answered the call for volunteers and made up work parties to help with the massive clean-up.
Prison inmates pitch in
Inmates were sent out from Wanganui, Manawatu, New Plymouth, Hawke’s Bay and Tongariro/Rangipo prisons to help in the flood clean-up.
“The work parties provided some of the hard, manual labour necessary for a clean-up of this scale,” says Trevor Riddle, Site Manager Manawatu Prison.
The inmates, supervised by corrections officers, cleared silt and mud from people’s homes and gardens. They also removed soiled furnishings and carpets and helped clear public walkways and riverbanks.
“The low-security inmates who volunteered for the clean-up were diverted from their current work projects in the community and sent to the worst-affected areas. They were proud of their contributions - we were all devastated by the damage and wanted to give any help we could,” says Lance Kennedy, Site Manager New Plymouth Prison.
Tongariro/Rangipo Prison provided mattresses and bedding for residents evacuated from their homes.
“Civil Defence had to evacuate people in the early hours of the morning and urgently needed warm, dry bedding. We stripped a closed unit and loaned the mattresses,” explains Jack Harrison, Site Manager Tongariro/Rangipo Prison.
Wanganui and Manawatu Prisons were in the worst-hit areas, with the floodwaters reaching Manawatu Prison’s perimeter fence. However, the biggest problem was getting staff in and out of work.
“All our staff went to great lengths come to work. Many travelled long distances to detour past closed roads and bridges,” says Bob Paterson, Superintendent Wanganui Prison.
Staff at the prisons swapped shifts, stayed on late and helped out any way they could to ensure the prisons continued to run smoothly.
“Staff really went the extra mile. Thanks to their hard work and strong morale the prisons carried on with minimal disruption,” says Trevor.
Community Work parties roll up their sleeves
Plenty of flood clean-up work by offenders on Community Work has been underway in recent weeks.
Offenders sentenced to Community Work must complete 40 to 400 hours of work on projects for community organisations, supervised by the Community Probation Service (CPS).
In the Manawatu, around half of the Community Work parties have been involved in flood relief activities.
“Every week we received more requests for help. Work parties helped the Red Cross to sort through donated goods and make up relief parcels. Many of the work parties returned to the schools and parks they had worked on before the bad weather struck, to clean up and do repairs,” says Palmerston North Service Centre Manager, Coralea Easther.
New Plymouth Service Centre Manager, Ann Kensington, says that in southern Taranaki, projects were shuffled so that almost all the work parties could be dedicated to the clean-up.
“The Waitotara Valley was severely hit, with silt and debris several feet deep in areas,” says Probation Officer, Bob Hikaka. “Offenders have been shovelling mud out of places machinery can’t reach and they’ve cleaned up the local community hall. We’ve been collaborating with work parties from New Plymouth Prison, sharing tools and resources.”
Work parties from the Wanganui catchment have helped residents in the Whangaehu Valley. Work Party Supervisor, Peter McClelland, says floodwaters ripped through Kauangaroa village, a historic Māori settlement.
“We’ve been cleaning up the old school house, digging out the drains and removing mud and rubbish. Work parties have been helping locals load the rubbish truck as it moves door to door,” he says.
In Wanganui city, offenders cleaned up the marina and spread bark chips to prevent sand encroaching on a sports field.
Levin-based Probation Officer, Lindsay Walker, said work parties bagged sand at Foxton Beach. After an extremely windy patch of weather they also picked up branches and rubbish around Levin.
Porirua City Council Parks Technical Officer, Stu Kilmister, was appreciative of the input from local work parties.
Stu says they picked up thousands of vegetables, mostly onions, washed away from stockpiles out to bathing beaches in Plimmerton, Pukerua and Titahi Bay. “The veges were considered a health hazard and it was labour-intensive work bagging them. At Community Work parties roll up their Pukerua Bay, 30 onions a square meter littered the beach.”
Ann Kensington summed up the value of offenders serving their hours helping the community after the floods.
“Many of them realised how lucky they were. They experienced empathy for the flood victims, often working alongside them to clear up. The impact they’ve made is very visible and the gratitude from the community immediate.”
General Manager Probation and Offender Services, Katrina Casey, says $20,000 of the CPS budget has been redirected to assist Community Work parties in flood relief activities.
Corrections Staff College Where careers in crime begin
Tucked away on the Rimutaka Prison site in Upper Hutt is a modern training facility where new recruits learn the basics of their job as corrections officers.
Since it opened in 1977, Corrections Staff College has produced thousands of graduates. Team Leader, Training and Development, Roz Jackson, says this initial training prepares corrections officers with the skills, theory and knowledge to work in any prison.
The new recruits, in groups of up to 20, undergo six weeks of intensive training. They stay in the college hostel and learn through a mixture of class work, practical activities and guest speakers.
“Local prison management are very supportive of the college and the hands-on training we frequently carry out at Rimutaka and other prisons nearby,” says Trainer, Mike Smith.
The learning that takes place during initial training is the cornerstone of every corrections officer’s career. “The recruits soak up plenty of information during their time with us,” enthuses Mike.
Training covers the core components of the job - security, regular head counts, lock and unlock, maintaining discipline, personal safety and risk management. Other topics studied include courses in legislation, sentence planning, interpersonal relationships, cultural awareness, report writing and crime prevention. Physical techniques to safely manage violent and uncooperative inmates are also taught.
Every corrections officer has an important role as a “case manager” for around six inmates. “We discuss what being a case manager means and how they can best support the inmates to achieve their sentence plan goals,” Mike says.
Mike feels that today’s typical recruit is looking for a career, as opposed to a job.
“Qualities we look for in recruits are life skills, an interest in people, fairness, dependability, being able to work in a team and to accept responsibility. Basically a good ‘all rounder’.”
Graduates from Mike’s latest intake mentioned the local marae visit and a Māori Focus Unit powhiri as course highlights.They added that the college’s meals, prepared by inmates studying catering qualifications, were excellent.
Trainee corrections officers are evaluated and given feedback on various assessment tasks throughout the six-week programme.On graduating they receive accreditation towards the National Certificate in Offender Management, which they can complete through further study and on the job training.
Mike says he takes great satisfaction seeing each class of trainees transform, eager and ready for the job.
“While not for everyone, a career as a corrections officer is really worthwhile and this is where it all starts.”
School for corrections officers
- Corrections Staff College is located at Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt. Four full-time trainers are currently based at the college.
- The college has hostel and motelstyle facilities for around 50 trainees.
- College facilities include classrooms, two conference rooms, a computer suite and “workshop” rooms.
- In 2003, 250 new corrections officers completed the initial six-week training programme. This number will increase over the next few years as the Department’s four new regional prisons are built.
- At least 13 training courses are planned for 2004 and the number may increase in response to regional demand. Each course takes up to 20 new staff.
- Before arriving at the college, trainees have passed interviews and screening assessments, and spent a week’s induction at the prison they will work in.
- Additional courses have been recently held in Palmerston North and Christchurch, to cater for strong regional interest.
- Over 2,000 corrections officers work in the Department’s 17 public prisons.
- Information packs on becoming a corrections officer are available on freephone 0800 701 701.
Release day for new corrections officers
Successfully completing the initial training course is reason for new corrections officers to celebrate.
Graduations at the end of the six-week programme are a special affair, attended by friends, family and supporters. Senior public prisons staff also attend to offer encouragement and advice to the graduates. Held at the staff college, once formalities are complete the occasion is marked with a meal.
Rimutaka Prison Site Manager, Dorreen Mackenzie, addressed Class 2/2004’s graduation last month. She wished the group well on their career journey and told them to be proud of the uniform they wear and the contribution they will make to keeping society safe. She acknowledged the part family/whanau play in supporting the corrections officers.
“These guys will be looking after some of the most difficult members of our society,” she says. “They must act as role models, being professional in every aspect of their work. We shouldn’t underestimate what a valuable job they do.”
So what attracts someone to becoming a corrections officer? Class 2/2004 graduates Albert Sullivan, Sheryl Woods and Bruce Gordon say it’s because they will be doing something different and making a positive difference in someone’s life.
Albert says he always wanted to be a corrections officer. “I like the teamwork side of things. The training was fantastic and just what I thought it would be.” “I wanted a job that’s exciting and challenging,” says Sheryl.
Bruce adds that he wanted a change, and after finishing the training he’s positive the job is for him. “The course was awesome. I’ve learnt heaps and made some good friends.”
College has more than meets the eye
Corrections Staff Training College is a popular conference, function and training venue. As well as training new corrections officers, the college hosts meetings and training sessions for Corrections’ staff and groups from other government departments. From time to time, organisations such as
Rotary clubs and senior citizens groups also use the facilities. Catering Manager, Ray Wilson, explains that Corrections Inmate Employment manages the college.
“The college kitchen is a ‘teaching kitchen’, where selected inmates learn job-related catering and hospitality skills.
“Three catering instructors teach the inmates qualifications in cooking, waiter service, hospitality and room service. They prepare meals for people at the college, so it’s perfect real-life experience for when they leave prison and look for work in the industry,” he says.
What's New In The Literature
Out of the closet and under the microscope:
Evaluating domestic violence treatment
Spousal abuse is a widespread social problem. In the United States in 1996, 840,000 women reported being assaulted by their partners. Over the last two decades, courts in North America and other countries have responded to this phenomenon by increasingly directing these offenders to attend counselling and programmes targeting domestic violence.
Despite the proliferation of such programmes, there was little evaluation of them until the mid-1990s. The results to date have been equivocal. In a recently published meta-analysis, Babcock and her colleagues(1) sought to shed light on this important question. Meta-analysis is a technique that aggregates the summaries of various evaluations, allowing statistical conclusions on the impact of different strategies.
The researchers identified 22 studies evaluating treatment outcomes that met basic criteria for inclusion in their review. These treatment studies were all group-based interventions, and were of either cognitive behavioural treatment or a feminist-oriented psycho-educational approach. The cognitive behavioural approach emphasises "unlearning" violent behaviour - in combination with social skills training and anger management techniques. The feminist-oriented psycho-educational approach challenges men’s perceptions about power and control over women, focusing on a more egalitarian relationship.
Overall, the authors found that intervention had a positive, statistically significant, but modest impact on further violence. The size of this effect was roughly similar to the average reported in other studies of offender rehabilitation. Interestingly, outcomes for the cognitive behavioural and feminist psycho-educational approaches were approximately the same.
Although the overall effect found in this meta-analysis was modest, the authors noted that a small number of evaluations appeared to produce much better outcomes. In one of these, treatment emphasised client motivation and engagement. In the other, recognition, management, and the communication of emotions formed a significant element of the programme. These two studies suggest ways in which treating domestic violence offenders might be further improved.
Precast products attract praise for CIE
The quality of inmate-made precast concrete products has recently drawn praise from a major customer.
Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE), which manages prison industries, counts Mainzeal, one of New Zealand’s largest construction firms, among its satisfied customers.
The quality of embedded steel work - the structural skeleton for precast concrete products - made by Manawatu Prison inmates was recently commended in a letter from Mainzeal Construction Manager, Joe Roberts: “We note the quality of the door and window frames is as good as we would expect from suppliers in the private sector.”
The frames are being used by Mainzeal in the construction of the Northland Region Corrections Facility, with CIE contracted to supply most of the precast and embedded steel components.
The construction market is increasingly taking notice of CIE’s work, as demonstrated by Auckland Prison’s precast operation recently securing a contract to supply concrete products for an Auckland high-rise apartment block.
“We didn’t secure this work because we were the cheapest - in fact, I understand there was at least one bid lower than ours; we got the job because our products are excellent,” says CIE Sector Manager, John Dolan.
CIE National Manager, Royden Motu, says that the precast operation is a shining example of what CIE is all about.
“First and foremost, the precast yard and engineering workshops provide meaningful employment for inmates. They learn real skills. The industry is desperately short of skilled workers, so the expertise learnt here gives inmates a very real chance of finding employment on release.
“Secondly, the industry is financially self-sustaining. This is important because it allows us to expand and enhance the training opportunities for inmates, and training is what we are all about,” he says.
What goes into prison must comeout
Prison rubbish is under the spotlight this month as the subject of a survey commissioned by the Department’s Assets and Property section.
The “waste flows” survey involves carefully sifting through the day to day rubbish inmates and staff create. Team Leader Asset Management, Roger Lamberth, says Waikeria Prison and one other site yet to be selected will be visited by “rubbish detectives” in late April and May. No waste will escape the survey, as the waste output from all prison activities, including the kitchen, laundry and employment industries will also be measured.
“Prisons are mini communities and in that sense they’re giant consumers of all sorts of resources - food, water, power and materials.
“By studying the rubbish at two facilities we should get a good idea of what our prisons typically send to landfills. We’re looking at the quantity of waste and what can be reused or recycled. This information will also tell us how we can streamline what’s ‘going in’ in the first place.”
Rubbish from inmate accommodation units and staff areas will be bagged, labelled and delivered to the “rubbish detectives”, who will weigh and record the contents.
Roger says studying rubbish makes good business sense. “This information will help us to develop a policy to minimise waste. The policy will tackle inefficiencies - making the Department more environmentally sound and at the same time saving on landfill charges. In the long run there could even be inmate employment opportunities from recycling and reusing rubbish.”
Phil Butter, Manager Property Management, says the waste survey is an example of an activity leading the Department towards sustainable development practices.
“This comes on the heels of work over the past two years that has significantly reduced Corrections’ energy usage - showing that good environmental management makes sound economic sense.”
A report on the waste flows survey should be completed in July.
Smart rubbish use
The Department requires and uses a large number of resources every day. Its many Community Probation Service offices, prison sites and associated prison farms and forestry total over 12,000 hectares, larger than the area covered by Hamilton city.
There are already many examples of reusing and recycling waste underway.
- At Waikeria Prison, food waste is sent to the prison’s piggery, sawdust from the joinery workshop ends up as bedding for the prison farms’ new calves, and cardboard boxes from the kitchen’s bulk supplies are recycled.
- Wellington Prison print shop’s waste paper is shredded and reused as bedding for animals at the city’s zoo and SPCA shelter.
- Inmates’ daily sugar allowance is now packaged in one 35-gram sachet, instead of seven individual five-gram packages. This equals 78 percent less packaging and a reduction in packaging costs.
- All the Department’s printer toner cartridges are recycled.
Golf tournament benefits children’s ward
The annual corrections officers’ golf tournament has helped make the days brighter for children at Hawke’s Bay Memorial Hospital.
The tournament, held this year in Hawke’s Bay, raised funds for a television, playstation and games, which were donated to the children’s ward. Also donated was wool, which volunteers knit into hats and booties for premature babies.
Tournament participants competed for awards and prizes, including a round of golf with comedian Mike King, whose company Travel King was one of the event’s many sponsors.
Dunedin citizens queue for jail time
Hundreds of Dunedinites, including Mayor Sukhi Turner, queued to take a look inside their historic local prison, at Dunedin Prison’s recent open day.
Site Manager, Mike Anderson says the response from the public was remarkable.
“Before the event we ran newspaper ads to encourage the public along - and the result was 550 locals turning up on the big day,” he says. Dunedin City councillors, police and court staff were also among those invited to visit.
“The day was the perfect opportunity for law-abiding citizens to go to jail, see how a prison works and ask us questions,” says Mike.
Entry was by gold coin donation, with proceeds going to the local branch of the Prisoners’ Aid and Rehabilitation Society (PARS). The strong public turnout netted $500 in donations, presented the following week to Dunedin PARS.
Visitors viewed the ground-floor facilities and displays and talked with prison staff, including corrections officers, receiving officers and sentence planners, about their work. The inmates’ cells, located upstairs, were off-limits, however.
Built in 1896, Dunedin Prison is one of New Zealand’s oldest working prisons and, with 59 beds, is by far the country’s smallest men’s facility. By comparison, the next largest prison, Ohura, located in the North Island’s King Country, accommodates 97 inmates.
The largest prison is Waikeria, capable of taking up to 906 inmates. There are plans to replace Dunedin Prison and build a corrections facility near Milton in southern Otago. Depending on planning approvals, the new prison could open in 2006.
Mike Anderson says staff and visitors found the day enjoyable, with a plenty of positive feedback received.
“We enjoyed the chance to explain our work to the public, and have a positive focus on what we do. It was a very worthwhile day.”
1 Babcock J.G., Green C.E., and Robie (2004), Does Batterers’ Treatment Work? A Meta-Analytic Review of Domestic Violence Treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, pp 1023-1053.