Download Corrections News May 2004 (pdf: 523KB)
Inside:
- Partnership with DHB
- Open day at Kia Marama
- Kaiwhakamana induction at Rimutaka Prison
- Pacific Strategy update
Good for the environment
Waikeria Prison’s dairy farm recently picked up several awards for environmental best practice at Environment Waikato’s annual farming awards.
While not quite a clean sweep, the farm did receive three of the eight available awards: Ballance Nutrient Management Award, ANZ Grow Award and the Livestock Improvement Best Dairy Farm Award.
Judges applauded Corrections’ entry saying it delivers on business, cultural and environmental objectives simultaneously.
Alan Bullick, Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) Farm Manager, whose high level of personal input was also noted by the judges, says the awards are terrific.
“For us, the benefits of entering are the contacts, advice and help we get. Networking with some of New Zealand’s top environmentally aware farmers is a huge advantage.
“When judges visited in 2001 - the last time we entered the awards - they offered an enormous amount of constructive feedback, which we later put in place.”
One of the things Alan is most proud of is the farm’s fertilizer programme, recognised by the Ballance Nutrient Management Award.
“We had an expert audit our fertilizer usage, then we developed a plan that now sees us use 20 percent less than before: we’re better off financially and environmentally.”
Not only is this farm good for the environment, it is also good for the inmates who work there. Offenders are trained in how to operate farm machinery and other farm tasks, all of which can help them to get a farm job when released, says Alan.
The awards cap off what really is an excellent farm operation, says Scott Gretton, CIE Primary Sector Manager.
“Alan and his team are to be congratulated. Waikeria Prison farms are already in the top 20 percent of New Zealand farms, based on their milk production. So further recognition, through these awards, is great.”
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S Comment
Where we are at: operationalising our corporate statements
You will all be aware that along with setting our strategic direction through to 2008 we have revised our corporate statements. We have new vision and values statements and for the first time a kaupapa statement.
Since they were introduced with the Strategic Business Plan in July last year, I know that many managers, as I have myself, have received good feedback about the statements.
The corporate statements are important for a number of reasons. They are part of what defines us as an organisation. They say to us and to our stakeholders and the people we work with - what our goals are, what we stand for and believe in, and what’s important to us.
They highlight our contribution to the justice sector through the primary outcome of safer communities, they articulate our unique values - which are summed up in the acronym PRIDE - and they reflect our focus on people.
There is a very strong thread throughout the statements that confirms that our work centres around people - ourselves as an organisation, the communities we serve, and the offenders we manage.
Of course, while it was important to get the words in the statements right they will be empty platitudes if we don’t put them into action. Senior managers have looked specifically at the range of things we need to do to bring the statements to life and to operate consistently with them across all dimensions of our business. Activity is already underway and over the next 12 months, and through the lifespan of the Strategic Business Plan, there will be a range of initiatives put in place. One example is the corporate statements signage that is being progressively supplied to all sites. Another is the reflection of the values in the performance management system so that they are included in the expectations that we set for ourselves and are used in assessing what has been achieved.
There is a common purpose to the initiatives to reinforce the corporate statements - to ensure that we use the statements to underpin all our activities and achieve best practice performance.
As I make visits around the country in coming months, I will look forward to talking with people about their work and how they see themselves contributing to the goals outlined in the statements. I will also continue to look to highlight with our stakeholders the contribution that we make as an organisation and the quality work being delivered in so many areas.
As I have already mentioned, the acronym for our values is pride and although we have some considerable challenges on our plate, Corrections people have much to be proud of. The vision statement highlights people, performance and quality and I am confident that if we all play our part we are well placed to achieve our vision.
Mark Byers
Chief Executive
Partnership with Lakeland DHB
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Public Prison Service’s Waikato/Central Region and Lakeland District Health Board (DHB) on 8 April confirmed how inmates accessing medical treatment at Rotorua and Taupo Hospitals are to be managed.
Sharon Young, Health Services Manager Waikato/Central region, says that the MOU represents a more collaborative approach to the development of protocols between the DHB and the Department. Pictured signing the MOU are Cathy Cooney (right), CEO, Lakeland DHB, and Harry Hawthorn, Regional Manager Waikato/Central Region, Public Prisons Service.
Saili Matagi pilot completed
Participants in the first violence prevention programme aimed at Pacific offenders graduated from their course in April.
The facilitators of the course, Patrick Tavai and Rosa Nimarota, said the pilot was a success, and for some of the inmates was the first opportunity to address the causes of their offending.
“The participants now have higher hopes and goals for their futures with the skills they’ve learnt during the course,” says Patrick.
The Saili Matagi programme has been specifically designed for Pacific adult male inmates who are serving sentences for offences of a violent or serious nature, in particular those with a moderate to high risk of re-offending.
To make the programme more relevant to Pacific inmates, a commonly shared Pacific analogy of the canoe journey is used throughout the programme. The Pacific focus is emphasised with the use of Pacific processes, protocols and concepts, and the programme is facilitated and supervised by Pacific clinical staff.
Saili Matagi will now be a permanent part of the Department’s core group of programmes. The next group will begin later in the year after any changes have been made to the programme as a result of the pilot.
The inmates presented Patrick and Rosa with a carving at the graduation to thank them for their involvement.
Behind the scenes look at violence prevention
“Incredibly valuable work,” is how Corrections Minister, Hon. Paul Swain, described the violence prevention programme provided at Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt.
The programme is delivered at the Violence Prevent Unit (VPU), a 30-bed special treatment unit. Mr Swain toured the VPU in April, to learn how the nine month, group-based programme works.
“This kind of programme is clearly having a positive effect on reducing reoffending,” he said. “I was impressed by how closely psychological staff, who deliver the therapy, work with the corrections officers based at the unit to enhance the programme.”
The violence prevention programme runs four mornings a week in three-hour sessions.
Participants, who have committed serious violent crimes, complete the programme as near as possible to their release.
Senior Psychologist Emma Sutich explained to the Minister how the men work through modules, mapping the path to their offending, and learning skills to manage their emotions and avoid high-risk situations. A vital part of the programme includes understanding the impact of their crime on the victims. In addition to group therapy, the inmates undertake one-to-one sessions with one of the unit’s psychologists.
While at the VPU Mr Swain took the opportunity to meet with Bill Marshall, a prominent international expert in the treatment of sex offenders. Professor Marshall was at the unit to host a workshop on groupbased therapy - the basis of the programmes run by the Psychological Service.
Principal Psychologist Nev Trainor said VPU staff were very pleased they had the chance to talk first-hand with the Minister about their work “behind the scenes” to help violent offenders change for the better.
Opportunities for insight at Kia Marama open day
“KIA MARAMA” means “let there be light and insight”, and there was plenty of both at the open day held recently at Kia Marama, the special treatment unit at Rolleston Prison for men who sexually offend against children.
A welcoming powhiri overseen by the unit’s kaumatua, John Panirau, was held in the unit’s grounds under blue April skies.
Following which, the 40 or so guests toured Kia Marama’s facilities, in groups escorted by some of the unit’s therapy and custodial staff members.
Kia Marama is one of two such special treatment units run by Corrections, the other being Te Piriti at Auckland Prison. Its accommodation unit houses up to 60 inmates, and is adjoined by a treatment building where group and individual therapy sessions take place.
Open day guests - from health, social service, cultural community, and law enforcement organisations – viewed the therapy rooms and learnt how the psychological treatment is delivered.
“Being a therapeutic community, the men are required to ‘live’ what they learn during the programme,” says Principal Psychologist, Bronwyn Rutherford.
“For example, they are expected to act responsibly and with respect towards others: not just during the group sessions, but all day, every day.”
Also open for inspection were inmates’ cells and living areas, and the unit’s tailoring workshop.
Instructor, Mike Brewer, explained how inmates - many of whom did not have work skills initially - are trained in industrial sewing. The workshop produces clothing such as jackets, overalls and jerkins, for Corrections and external clients.
A number of Kia Marama programme “graduates” volunteered to help escort the visiting groups, allowing visitors the opportunity to discuss offenders’ experience of treatment with them directly.
“Matthew” says Kia Marama has definitely changed him. “One of the great things about this programme is we learn to deal with our fears and we learn strategies to cope. In some ways, life held far more anxieties for me before I came into prison, before I learned to cope.”
Kia Marama - the results
Initial research in 1998 indicated that the treatment was reducing re-offending by more than 50 percent. This study indicated that 22-25 percent of untreated offenders had re-offended, compared with around eight percent of treated offenders.
More recently, those treated since 1994 were compared with those treated up to 1993. Re-offending rates of around four percent indicated that Kia Marama has become even more effective over time.
Kia Marama - the programme
After being referred to Kia Marama and moved into the unit, new inmates are assessed in-depth over a two to three week period. Once accepted into the programme, the men spend nine hours per week in treatment over a nine-month period. During this time they participate in the following modules:
-
Team building
-
The offence chain: learning the factors that contributed to a man’s offending
-
Victim impact and empathy: understanding the effects of offending
-
Modifying sexual arousal
-
Learning how to recognise and manage feelings
-
Relationship skills
-
Sexuality
-
Staying safe
-
Safe release planning
Following the programme, all participants are reassessed for progress made in treatment.
Bringing our vision, values and kaupapa into the workplace
Over the next few months every Corrections site and office will receive corporate statements signs in several formats. Having the corporate statements up in all locations is part of integrating them into the everyday work of Corrections staff.
Bob Calland, General Manager of Corporate Management, responsible for co-ordinating the signage, says it is a big exercise because the Department is large and has so many sites.
“We also involved people across the Department in the preparation and I’d particularly like to thank the staff who participated in the photography. These are statements about us as an organisation so it’s great to have images of our own people in their workplaces,” says Bob.
Working with the statements Other activities to operationalise the statements are also underway.
Public Prisons Service (PPS) General Manager Phil McCarthy says: “The professional ethics project has been the key vehicle to operationalise the corporate statements within PPS.”
PPS discussed the new values statement with staff late last year using cascaded briefings that were part of the rollout of the revised Code of Conduct. The statements have been further reinforced through a number of action learning sessions provided to PPS managers.
Within Probation and Offender Services (POS) work has been undertaken to promote the statements. This has been achieved through a series of cascaded presentations giving all staff the opportunity to discuss the statements. Staff induction programmes now include a presentation on the corporate statements.
POS General Manager Katrina Casey says the corporate statements are key for the Regional Management Committees (RMCs) in their role to lead the integrated approach to managing offenders in the field.
“The Southern RMC brought together their senior managers - across CPS, PPS and Psychological Service - for a workshop where they discussed the corporate statements and the strategic direction,” says Katrina.
What the statements mean to staff
Tanara (Dunn) Kaiwai - whose corrections career spans 28 years - says the vision, values and kaupapa statements are all relevant to him.
“They’re the sorts of things my parents bought me up on - my mum who’s now in her nineties has always talked about the importance of the wellness of our people.”
Unit Manager at Rimutaka Prison’s Māori Focus Unit, Tanara says his work is strongly focused on achieving safer New Zealand communities - a primary outcome for the Department.
“I ask my staff to do the best we can while a person is with us because soon they’ll leave us and return to the community, and maybe live next door to someone like my old mum. I think it’s important to bring this message home to our staff - it makes them see how important their role really is,” he says.
Riaz Azam, a Senior Business Analyst in the Corporate Management Planning and Monitoring team, initially joined PPS as an analyst in 2002.
He says the element of the corporate statements that has most meaning to him is the kaupapa statement, believing it sums up the intent of the Department’s work.
“When I’m faced with challenges it reminds me of where I am and what my purpose is.” It is the vision statement that is key for Sandra Low, a Probation Officer of two years - now based at Porirua - who started out as a corrections officer.
“I think the biggest challenge for any organisation is getting the employees on board with where they are going. The vision provides an opportunity to get staff heading in a shared direction,” she says. “I also personally like the focus on the community.”
Rimutaka CIE catering instructor Vic Day says the importance of professionalism - one of the values - cannot be overstated.
“It’s about understanding that it is not our role to judge inmates, nor is it our role to force our will upon them. It’s about dealing with their problems in a private and honest manner, showing no favour to any specific group and treating everyone as human beings.
At the same time it’s important to recognise diverse cultures and creeds that come with their own specific needs. By doing this we maintain the integrity of our roles.”
Opportunities and challenges
For Gary Agenbag, a Wellington Probation Officer, the overall benefit of a shared and strongly articulated vision and set of values is clear.
“It gives us the direction and conviction we need to do our work with zest and positive energy,” he says.
Gary is cautious though about overstating the impact of words alone. He says the real opportunities for the Department lie in broadening the range of interventions available to offenders, as well as providing more interventions to more people.
Taunu Taepa, Principal Corrections Officer in the Māori Focus Unit at Rimutaka Prison, agrees that the statements are a starting - not an end - point.
“Reducing re-offending is an important goal, but we need to focus on how we do it,” he says.
Taunu would like to see more community involvement with offenders. “The community needs to keep telling their children that prison isn’t the place to come. They need to help people once they’re here, but they also need to deter people from coming in the first place.”
Gary acknowledges the important role of staff too. “I love my work. Along with the frustrations it also brings rewards. To me, being a Probation Officer is a career and not just another job.”
Instructor Vic Day views his role, and the roles of his colleagues, in a similar light. To him the ongoing challenge is to recruit the right people and provide them with the appropriate training and performance development.
Christine Whitfield, Information Technology Project Manager, believes the Department has made important steps in this direction already.
“I joined the Department 15 years ago because I wanted to make a difference and I’ve been given the opportunity to do just that.”
Christine started her career as a prison officer in Christchurch before taking up a six-week secondment in Wellington as a subject matter expert for the PPS module of IOMS. She has been employed in a variety of roles at head office ever since.
Christine clearly recalls her first days as a prison officer, asking if she might study for her degree during night watch. She got the nod, a small but significant example of the organisation’s early support, says Christine.
“The Department provides a whole world in itself and this world is our oyster, the helping hand is there - you just need to recognise it.”
our vision
To focus on our primary outcome of
Safer Communities by
Protecting the Public and
Reducing Re-offending through
People
Performance
Quality
and as a result have the New Zealand public’s
trust and confidence.
our values
Professionalism Responsiveness
Integrity Diversity
Effectiveness and Efficiency
our kaupapa
Kotahi ano te kaupapa; ko te oranga o te iwi
There is only one purpose (to our work); it is the
wellness and wellbeing of the people.
Links to future direction
The Department’s corporate statements comprise vision, values, and kaupapa statements. All three were launched as part of the Strategic Business Plan (SBP) in July last year, and are key to the Department’s direction over the next five years. The statements featured prominently in the Highlights Brochure summarising the SBP that has been used extensively with stakeholders as well as within the Department.
Several formats for different situations
There are three types of corporate statements signs. For reception areas there is a large sign comprising a printed canvas panel with carved totara side panels. This sign features the Department’s Māori pattern representing the spiritual and physical journey of the individual to wellbeing. There is a simple square sign for managers’ offices and meeting rooms, and a more informal version featuring images of staff for hanging in work areas.
A look at social work from the inside
Students gained an “inside” view of social work in prisons when prison social workers Kiri Jones and Anne Paver held a workshop at Manukau Institute of Technology last month.
Prison social workers assist with the reintegration of inmates into the community, helping offenders with issues such as finding housing, work and managing money. They also deal with family issues that have a bearing on the well-being of offenders while they are in prison.
Anne and Kiri designed a three-hour interactive workshop for a class of secondyear social work students studying social problems. There were brainstorming sessions, small group activities and role-plays, as well as opportunities for sharing wisdom and experience.
They described the journey to prison and the need for intervention early in life to prevent offenders entering the criminal world. They also reflected on the challenges and problems presented to them at the prison end of the offending continuum, which could have been diminished or prevented through earlier intervention.
Kiri has been with Corrections for six years and as social worker at Mt Eden Prison does a lot of crisis management work, particularly with women offenders. The women come to prison with family and social problems to contend with on arrival from court.
Anne works mainly with long-term serious offenders at Auckland Prison. She has been with the Department for more than 20 years and says she still enjoys working with offenders and their families.
Both agree their work is rewarding, at times lonely, and always challenging. Anne and Kiri were delighted they were invited to give the presentation again this year following one to last year’s social work students. The evaluations from the students were glowing, with a much-repeated comment being “not long enough - we want to know more.”
Community offers tattoo removal for inmates
“Like having hot fat dripped on you” is how inmates on a local tattoo removal programme have described the treatment to Katie Gibling, Programme Coordinator at Christchurch Prison.
The programme is being offered by the Salvation Army, providing subsidised laser tattoo removal for inmates keen to rid themselves of unsightly and prominent tattoos.
“Tattoos can be a serious barrier to finding employment or accommodation,” says Major Bob Millar, Director of the Salvation Army’s Christchurch Outreach Programme. The Salvation Army gave serious thought to buying its own laser machine but the cost was out of its reach. Instead, it approached a local skin treatment clinic to see if it would be prepared to help.
“They were happy to form a partnership with us,” says Bob. Nonetheless, it is still an expensive exercise, costing around $250 per session. The Salvation Army pays half while the clinic subsidises the rest. Inmates are asked, if able, to contribute $25 per session.
Corrections assists the process by escorting the inmates to and from treatment and providing the after-care needed to ensure the laser burns heal properly. Removal is offered on facial and hand tattoos only and, with most inmates requiring an average of six sessions, Katie Gibling carefully vets inmates applying for the programme. Gang members, drug users or inmates with behavioural problems are not eligible.
“They have to be committed to change,” says Katie.
Prison neighbours drop in for BBQ
A barbeque for neighbours of Hawke’s Bay Prison attracted close to 80 members of the community recently and may lead to a formal relationship between the prison and local community.
The main topic of discussion was the introduction of a committee comprising local residents, councillors and members of the local marae to create a stronger relationship between the prison and the community.
Walker Manaena, Hawke’s Bay Prison Site Manager, says a number of residents have already expressed their interest and the prison is currently investigating how other prisons have managed and developed a committee.
“We need to include the community in the ideas and decisions we make and maintain an open relationship. A local residents’ committee would be a positive way to enhance communication with local residents and the wider community about new activities and changes at the prison.”
First kaiwhakamana induction at Rimutaka Prison
Twenty-five kaumatua and tohunga are now officially registered as kaiwhakamana after recently completing an induction course at Rimutaka Prison.
“Being registered as kaiwhakamana will give kaumatua greater access to Māori inmates to advise and support them on a variety of matters such as tikanga, whakapapa and how to reconnect with whanau, hapu and iwi,” says Harris Shortland, Senior Cultural Adviser and newly-inducted kaiwhakamana.
Wellington Regional Adviser Māori Service Development, Bill Simpson organised the day and is pleased to see the initiative underway.
“The time and effort these people have volunteered to inmates over the years is humbling. The kaiwhakamana initiative recognises and draws together the good work currently being done and invites others to participate as well.”
Bill says the course involved workshops and presentations on the role and responsibility of kaiwhakamana, crime prevention and OSH health and safety requirements.
“All the presenters - Dennis Paki, Cheryl Heberley-Wright, Rachel Sayer and Louise Macdonald - did an excellent job and were very well received.”
Sentence planners plan to meet regularly
Putting names to faces was just one of the achievements for Community Probation Service (CPS) and Public Prisons Service (PPS) sentence planning staff who met recently in Rotorua. The inter-service meeting brought together CPS sentence planners from the central North Island region and sentence planners from Waikeria and Tongariro/Rangipo Prisons.
Spearheading the “long overdue” get together was Senior Probation Officer and Future Leaders participant, Jocelyn Comiskey. For Jocelyn it was about getting a clearer picture and better appreciation of each other’s roles.
“Our only contact is usually through IOMS (Corrections’ IT system that records information about offenders and their sentence management). I wanted more insight and a broadening of our knowledge,” says Jocelyn.
Also keen to get a better understanding of each other’s role was Karen Pellow, Principal Corrections Officer at Waikeria Prison.
“I had been talking about meeting, however Joce beat me to it,” says Karen. Sentence planning is required for all inmates, parolees and home detainees.
PPS sentence planners work with inmates to formulate a plan to address the inmates’ offending while in prison; this may include programme participation, goal setting and assessment. Towards the inmate’s release date from prison, a pre-release report is written to assess the offender’s progress.
This is used by CPS sentence planners to continue the offender’s rehabilitation back into the community.
The PPS and CPS sentence planners met with three key objectives in mind: to build useful working relations; gain an appreciation of each other’s roles; and clarify gaps in information between the two services.
“You find out just how much PPS sentence planners rely on our pre-sentence reports and how changes made by one service affect the other downstream,” says Jocelyn.
“Staff found it really useful and gained a better understanding of what CPS does, our common issues and frustrations,” says Karen.
The two groups are tentatively planning to meet again in June and on a quarterly basis from then on.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE LITERATURE
Review of New Zealand Treatment of Offenders in New Zealand Journal of Psychology
In December 2003 the New Zealand Journal of Psychology published a special edition dealing with psychology in corrections. Departmental psychologist, Brendan Anstiss, provided a review article which discussed Corrections’ initiatives to reduce re-offending.(1)
The article begins by providing a background to the “what works” debate, chronicling movement from the pessimism of the mid-1970s to increasing evidence of the positive effect certain types of approaches may have on offender rehabilitation and subsequent successful reintegration as members of society.
Anstiss observes that the history of correctional programming in New Zealand has largely followed that of North American and British jurisdictions. He notes that Corrections has developed a number of programmes that aim to reduce recidivism for targeted offender groups, and that much of this effort has been to deliver services to those who have been imprisoned for offences against the person (for example, sexual and violent offenders).
This article considers the evidence for a number of rehabilitative initiatives which include: general treatment provided by the Psychological Service, Montgomery House programme, the special treatment units at Te Piriti and Kia Marama for men who sexually offend against children, and the Driving Offender Treatment Programme.
Anstiss reports on three studies of the effectiveness of providing psychological treatment to offenders. Carried out during the early and mid-1990s, these found significant reductions in re-offending among individuals who had received this treatment, who were monitored for up to five years afterwards. The results of this form of treatment compared favourably with similar results obtained overseas.
The Department’s two evaluations of sex offender treatment programmes at Te Piriti and Kia Marama are reviewed and the significant reductions in subsequent sexual offending are noted. The paper references several internal evaluations and one published report relating to the Montgomery House violence prevention programme run in Hamilton, and the positive results achieved by that programme in reducing further violent offending.
The published report of the Driver Offender Treatment Programme for disqualified drivers, which was initiated and piloted in Christchurch, is also reviewed. Again, the impact of that programme on downstream driving offending has been found to be positive; a finding which led to the modification and widespread roll out of an expanded programme known as Making Our Drivers Safe (MODS).
Anstiss concludes that the positive results observed are consistent with those reported in the literature, and are not surprising given that these approaches are consistent with the principles of effective correctional interventions.
Notwithstanding these encouraging outcomes, Anstiss notes there is still room for improvement in a number of areas. Firstly, the specialist programmes appear only to reduce the specific illegal behaviours which are targeted (such as disqualified driving) and there is clearly a need for a greater generalisation of treatment effects to other forms of offending.
Secondly, he notes that further work is needed to understand the potential benefits of “programme stacking”, which would involve the selective provision of more than one criminogenic programme to certain offenders in order to obtain a potentially enhanced treatment effect.
Finally, Anstiss comments that not all studies in New Zealand adequately account for the problem of treatment dropouts, where there is some evidence that these people may actually have increased rates of recidivism.
Stationery moves with Corporate Express
The humble blue biro - the staple of any stationery cupboard and last year Corrections ordered some 30,000 of them. With an annual stationery bill pushing $2m, Finance Group’s National Procurement Team set about consolidating suppliers and reducing costs without compromising choice or quality.
The contract was re-tendered in June last year, resulting in Corporate Express becoming Corrections’ new supplier from last December.
“It wasn’t about any single item for the cheapest amount, but about the best value for money on a bundle of items purchased,” says Procurement Specialist, Greg Swann.
With the aim of saving around $360,000 a year, stationery lines have been rationalised. This means certain expensive products have been blocked from sale and substituted with a less costly brand or the Corporate Express brand.
“We don’t need five brands of pens that do the same thing at significantly varying prices.”
However, if a specified product does not fulfil the purpose for which it was bought, the team will arrange for an alternative product to be ordered. But if the request is on the basis of personal preference alone, staff are out of luck says Greg.
The procurement team is keen to see staff responsible for ordering stationery take up the online ordering option available to them, which has the advantage of displaying product pictures and prices.
“Around 35 percent of orders are done through the ‘net. We’re hoping that will rise, especially now that the new processes are settled in.”
Corporate Express’ performance is reviewed on a quarterly basis, and prices of items can be renegotiated on a six-monthly basis.
“As Corrections is a big customer, we were able to negotiate a very good deal and the supplier is expected to perform,” says Greg.
That means cost-competitive pricing, excellent customer service, quality-assured products and a ready supply of trusty blue biros.
Pacific Strategy Update
The Department’s Pacific Strategy is leaping ahead with several initiatives underway or fully in place.
The final Fautua Pasefika launch took place in the Hawke’s Bay region in March, the last in a series of regional launches since August 2003. The initiative allows Pacific community leaders greater access to prisons to provide support for Pacific inmates.
The pilot Saili Matagi violence prevention programme was completed in April - see page three to read more about this pilot.
Another recent successful pilot is the Pacific Community Liaison Officer (CLO) initiative at Auckland, which gives Pacific Corrections Officers the role of improving communications with the Pacific community. Following the positive outcomes of this pilot it is likely that permanent positions similar to these will be considered in the near future.
Advance planning work has also started on a proposed prison-based Pacific Focus Unit at the planned Spring Hill facility to better meet the needs of Pacific inmates.
The Chief Executive’s Pacific Advisory Group (CEPAG) has now met twice, adding considerable value to the Pacific Strategy work already says group chairperson, Chief Executive Mark Byers.
A key factor in the success of the Pacific Strategy initiatives so far has been the leadership and inspiration of Lautafi Selafi Purcell, Principal Adviser (Pacific).
Selafi’s contribution was celebrated in April when he left the Department to take 12 months’ leave after 21 years of service with Corrections. Maria McDonald, Manager Māori and Pacific Policy, says Selafi’s role has been instrumental to the development and implementation of the Pacific Strategy.
A new policy adviser, Viko Aufaga, has been appointed to continue with the development of Pacific policy.
New equipment brings opportunities for inmates
New timber-processing equipment at Wanganui Prison is giving inmates the opportunity to obtain skills and qualifications in line with the most recent developments in the timber industry.
The finger-jointing machinery, in operation for the past month, takes low-grade timber and turns it into a higher-grade product by eradicating knots in the wood.
“There is high demand in the timber industry for finger-jointer operators. Training on this equipment means inmates will be well-placed to find employment when they leave prison,” says Russell Gratten, Timber Sector Manager.
Timber Instructor Paul Kitson says it takes six months of training on the machinery to enable the inmates to receive their NZQA qualifications.
“It takes nine men to operate the equipment and they treat their work improving the quality of the timber very seriously.”
Increasing the number of NZQA qualifications delivered to inmates relates to a key strategic goal, reducing re-offending.
The prison’s timber-processing operation is currently providing finished timber for the New Zealand building market. Recent testing has confirmed that the product meets structural grade. This opens up new markets for the product and is a credit to the quality of work by staff and inmates.
Wanganui Prison’s timber operations are part of Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE), which aims to provide inmates with work experience and training in fields where employment opportunities exist in the community.
IOMS Review Project aids future directions
A review of the Integrated Offender Management System (IOMS), the Department’s IT system for recording information about offenders and their sentence management, has been helping shape the system’s future direction.
Commenced in October last year, the IOMS Review Project took an offendercentric approach, using the various stages of an offender’s progress through the Corrections’ system as a framework.
The project team held workshops and interviews with around 100 staff from throughout Corrections, identifying and recording current business practices.
Information netted from this feedback was collated in an Access database, documenting over 200 business processes. This valuable research process also helped to further build the team’s knowledge of the IOMS system.
The team moved on to identify and analyse the gaps between current business processes and IOMS functionality (i.e. what is possible in IOMS) and its usability (i.e how well IOMS does it). This was completed last month and is currently under review.
“Looking to the future is the key to the IOMS Review Project,” says the project’s sponsor, IT Manager, Derek Lyons.
“What we want to do is to ensure that IOMS continues to support business process, as well as meeting the changing needs of the organisation,” he says.
A key driver of the project is to ensure recommendations encourage information sharing and common practices across the organisation. It aims to maximise the benefits from sentence management processes introduced over the past three years and be as flexible as possible to support future needs.
The project team is currently developing a “road map” describing the recommended future strategic direction for IOMS over the next five years.
The review project, once completed, will be the culmination of nine months’ work by this dedicated team, whose members extend a special thanks to all staff who contributed towards the project.
1 Anstiss B. (2003), Just how effective is correctional treatment at reducing re-offending? New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 32, pp 84-91.