Download Corrections News May 2005 (pdf: 1.4MB)
The New Zealand Immigration Service’s Samoan Quota allows
1,110 Samoans to be eligible to apply for permanent residence in New Zealand each year. Almost 400 Samoans selected through the Quota last year applied to work as New Zealand corrections officers. Of those, 72 were appointed following a rigorous selection process.
Thirty-five of the new recruits have already started work as corrections officers, with a further 13 starting induction and training this month.
Lotomua Avauli and Afereti Taliulu have been working as corrections officers at Rimutaka Prison for nearly two months and are clearly enjoying their new roles.
Lotomua, who works at the Violence Prevention Unit, is grateful for the opportunity Corrections offered her, providing both a means of coming to New Zealand after her name was selected from the Samoan Quota, and a rewarding career.
In impeccable English, Lotomua says it was a privilege to be able to grab that opportunity.
“I really enjoy my work here and it’s interesting to learn from people from other backgrounds.
“I love working with people and helping them - I was a missionary for my church in the United States and this is like a second mission.”
Afereti is based in the High-Medium Units at Rimutaka. He came from Samoa looking for a career and better education opportunities for his children.
“The Quota gave us the chance to come here, but thanks to the Department I have a job I enjoy. My family are also happy living here in New Zealand.”
Public Prisons Service General Manager Phil McCarthy says that, notwithstanding some inaccurate media reports, staff have been working closely with the new officers to ensure they are supported as they settle into their new home in New Zealand.
“Along with their new roles, these new officers also need support to adjust to a new country. Each of the new officers has been allocated a ‘buddy’ in their region to act as a point of contact for advice and support.”
The Pacific Island Staff Network has also played an important role, helping to put the new officers and their families in touch with local groups and churches. Many of the new officers opted to come to New Zealand to join extended family, and already have established support networks here.
A focus for me during April was getting out to Corrections’ sites around the South Island and lower North Island to meet with staff. I visited sites in the central North Island earlier this month and intend to visit the upper North Island sites during June.
Corrections is a complex area and there are a number of issues facing staff across the Department. I have appreciated the opportunity to talk with staff about ways to resolve some of the issues and to clarify others. The dedication and professionalism of staff is obvious, and I have been impressed by the knowledge and enthusiasm displayed by the staff I have met to date.
I have also been hugely impressed by the passion and commitment of staff to achieving better results in rehabilitation and reintegration. A number of stories in recent issues of Corrections News highlighted Corrections’ commitment to rehabilitation and reintegration. But what exactly do we mean by rehabilitation and reintegration, and why are they important?
Corrections’ strategic direction is focused on achieving the justice sector outcome of safer communities, through protecting the public and reducing re-offending.
Corrections contributes to reducing re-offending by providing targeted rehabilitative and reintegrative initiatives. These initiatives aim to help offenders return to their communities and participate positively in society.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Programmes and services are selected as part of an offender’s sentence management plan based on a risk and needs assessment.
Corrections provides a range of targeted rehabilitative programmes and special treatment units, including:
Reintegration initiatives aim to assist offenders to remain offence-free. Basic living skills, parenting and budgeting are some of the programmes available in prisons. Self-care units also help offenders learn independent living skills as they approach the end of their time in prison.
Education and employment initiatives, such as the National Certificate in Employment Skills and Corrections Inmate Employment programmes (CIE), help offenders to find jobs on release. You can read about how participating in a CIE programme at Waikeria Prison helped three former inmates gain employment on the ‘outside’ on page 3 .
Corrections is reviewing some of its programmes to ensure they are meeting the rehabilitative needs of offenders. There is more about the review on page 4 .
Minister of Corrections Hon Paul Swain recently announced that the Government is working on a plan to offer inmates opportunities to undertake accredited training in industry areas experiencing skill shortages. Each prison will have a dedicated staff member responsible for coordinating
reintegration services for inmates who are one year from their release date or parole hearing. Read more about this on page 3 .
The focus on rehabilitation and integration will intensify even further over the coming months, with a number of new initiatives announced as part of Budget 2005.
Reintegration services received a funding boost in this year’s budget.
The extra funding will be used to increase the number of reintegration coordinators from three to 13 in 2005/06 and to 16 in 2006/07.
The coordinators work with other government and community agencies such as Work and Income, Housing NZ, Prisoners' Aid and Rehabilitation Society (PARS) and employer organisations to make sure services are in place prior to an offender's release.
Announcing the extra funding, Minister of Corrections Hon Paul Swain said that what happens to inmates when they walk out the prison gates has a huge bearing on whether they successfully rejoin the community or fall back into a life of crime.
"Corrections already spends more than $9 million a year on reintegration and there is a lot of good work already being done to help inmates reintegrate into the community, but these efforts lack proper coordination.
That is why the reintegration coordinators have such an important role to play." In addition to more funding for reintegration initiatives, an extra $6 million will go towards extra Parole Board reports and hearings due to increasing workloads.
The money will fund an increase in the number of Psychological Service reports for the Parole Board from 600 to 900 and the number of Parole Board hearings from 6,500 to 8,000.
Overall, Corrections funding will increase by $39 million in 2005/06, rising to $84 million in 2008/09 and following years. Much of this is extra funding to pay for increasing costs of existing initiatives.
Learning practical skills in prison that will serve them well on the outside has paid off for former Waikeria Prison inmates working on the site of the new Spring Hill Corrections Facility, near Te Kauwhata in North Waikato.
Seven inmates were trained as heavy machinery operators by Porter Hire Limited, a privately owned company providing services to the Earthworks Collaborative Working Arrangement, the organisation responsible for managing earthworks at the Spring Hill site.
The training was part of a pilot initiative aimed at providing inmates with skills in an area experiencing skills shortage. The inmates received both practical and theoretical training prior to their release from prison.
Three of the seven inmates are now working at the Spring Hill site.
Corrections Minister Hon Paul Swain says having a real job and a regular income provides inmates with positive choices and reduces the likelihood of re-offending.
“Coming out of prison to paid employment means these former inmates are more likely to successfully reintegrate back into society.
“The benefits of this kind of scheme are obvious. We’re able to provide trained, experienced people in an area of skill shortage. At the same time, these men are getting a chance to contribute to society and earn a living.”
Staff and management working at the Spring Hill site have wholeheartedly accepted the former inmates as part of the team. Mr Swain says the success of the pilot scheme means it has the potential to be transferred to other prisons.
Corrections recently launched a review of its criminogenic programmes to ensure they are meeting offenders’ needs.
The programmes, targeted at offenders with a medium to high risk of re-offending, focus on the crime causing behaviour of inmates - why they offend, and how to stop it happening again.
The Psychological Service is responsible for ensuring criminogenic programmes, which have been running nationwide since mid-2000, are regularly reviewed.
Particular issues being examined by the review include the pace and content of the programme, the complexity of language used, the potential for more active methods of learning offenders can relate to, and ensuring offenders are receptive to the bicultural aspects of the programmes.
Programme operators, Intervention Services, will conduct the review, led by Senior Psychologist Lucy King and supported by an advisory group. The review will involve consulting with staff, in particular from Intervention Services and the Psychological Service, and reviewing correspondence and literature, material from the pilot evaluation, and programme monitoring.
“The overall aim is to provide systematic modification of the programme content, based on issues identified during its pilot phase and subsequent implementation,” says Lucy.
“These changes will enhance the integrity of the programmes and at the same time make them more 'user friendly' for participants.”
Each programme is delivered over 10 weeks and includes 40 two-and-a-half-hour sessions.
The review is due to be completed by the end of June.
A new programme aimed at increasing the capability of Corrections’ managers is being rolled out, after more than a year in development.
Strategic Human Resources Manager Bronwyn Kingdom says the programme covers a range of topics to help managers work effectively in the Corrections environment and ease the transition of new managers into their role.
The first set of modules will cover performance management, health and safety, responsiveness to Maori and finance/business information.
Bronwyn says most existing managers will have the opportunity to attend these modules before the focus turns to new managers and those seeking refresher training.
A fifth module under development will cover induction during a manager’s first couple of months in the role. It will include guidelines for the participant’s manager, an individual study workbook focused at organisational level, and a two-day orientation workshop. In addition, there will be a pre-start welcome pack for managers who are new to Corrections.
Managers participating in the programme will be provided with a handy reference toolkit and advice on where to find more information.
“One of the benefits of this programme is that managers will get to meet and network with other managers across the organisation,” says Bronwyn.
Testing of some materials has already taken place, and feedback from testers helped to refine the content further.
Development of the material has seen programme manager Senior Human Resources Adviser Kay Howard working alongside staff from throughout Corrections.
“This corporate programme has to be as relevant as possible to each part of the Department, while at the same time supporting the training each group and service is producing to cover their unique needs and priorities,” says Kay.
Wanganui Prison is boasting a brand new Custodial Support Unit (CSU), which was blessed in a pre-dawn ceremony recently.
The blessing was attended by local kaumatua and kuia, representatives from the building contractor Wells and Wadsworth, and local Corrections staff.
The CSU has been named ‘Manawanui,’ which describes the CSU as the ‘heart’ of the institution.
The new CSU houses the receiving office, inmate property, control room and escort centre. It features state-of-the-art technology, including electronic door unlocking and locking, and electronic sally ports. Security consultant Honeywell has recently finished installing the electronic equipment and the CSU is now fully operational.
Corrections Health Services staff recently attended Primary Focus 2: Moving in the Right Direction, a conference funded by the Ministry of Health to profile and promote successes in implementing the Primary Health Care Strategy.
Minister of Health Hon Annette King says the conference presented an excellent example of co-operation around New Zealand, in line with the Primary Health Care Strategy.
“The conference ably demonstrated what can be achieved by collaboration between health professionals and their communities. Working together means many professionals have also been able to expand their roles to meet the needs of their specific population,” says Ms King.
Health Services staff attended a range of clinical workshops and presentations on the different and innovative models of primary health care delivery, workforce development, primary health care, nurse recruitment and retention, professional development, quality and innovation, and health promotion.
Corrections’ participation at the conference provided an opportunity to profile the delivery of primary heath services in a prison environment, says Jenny Torr, acting Assistant General Manager - Women’s and Specialist Services.
“Our conference poster, promoting the evaluations of the harm minimisation, and screening, assessment and treatment pilots, created a lot of interest from conference attendees.
“Staff attending the conference had the opportunity to learn and share information about experiences, ideas, evidence and practical advice on the management and delivery of primary health care. It was also a good opportunity to meet and network with their colleagues from around the country.”
Nursing staff are essential in the prison environment, providing primary health care to inmates on a daily basis.
Joanne Purdue, Nurse in Charge at Invercargill Prison, began part-time work for the Department in 1989. After five years’ service Joanne left to pursue other employment opportunities, returning 10 years later to a fulltime nursing position.
“A prison nurse is involved in primary nursing, including completing health assessments on all inmate arrivals, issuing medication, organising and dealing with any medical concerns inmates have and sometimes dealing with emergency health needs,” says Joanne.
“We also work with outside agencies, such as forensic mental health services, organise dental appointments, doctor’s clinics and psychiatrist’s clinics.”
Joanne feels that nursing in a prison environment is very different from regular primary health. “It is more challenging and diverse because of the secure environment.
There are many rules and regulations that need to be considered before conducting the simplest task.”
A key induction course run by the Public Prisons Service staff introduces registered nurses into the prison environment. A second induction course run by Health Services staff covers issues of personal and physical safety, rules, regulations and routines. Ongoing educational sessions are available to align health practices with changes in Government law.
Health Services staff work very closely with corrections officers. “They are incredibly supportive and oversee all aspects of our safety - our interactions with inmates are made much easier by the advice they offer,” says Joanne.
“Inmates are generally well mannered and polite when we treat them. The few who aren’t become one of the many challenges that make nursing in prison so interesting.”
A sense of humour and positive outlook - along with the ability to problem solve and prioritise - are qualities required to work as a prison nurse, says Joanne.
“When I returned to Corrections, a corrections officer asked me why I came back. I made the observation that after 10 years’ absence there were very few new faces and the reason for that is probably because we work as part of a very supportive team.”
The Public Prisons Service (PPS) relaunched its successful ‘Are You a Positive Role Model?’ recruitment campaign this month, in tandem with international efforts to recruit prison staff.
Along with corrections officers, PPS is also looking for experienced nurses and administration staff. Catherine Hall, former Assistant General Manager Corporate Development and now New Facilities Development Project Manager, says the success of last year’s recruitment drive for corrections officers was very encouraging.
“Corrections officers have a crucial role in managing inmates and it’s essential they act as role models. We are very pleased that in the period since the October campaign was launched more than 300 new corrections officers have been recruited.”
As a result of the campaign, nearly 4,200 information packs were sent out and 3,800 enquiries were received from people considering a career as corrections officers.
There are around 2,478 custodial staff, 173 nursing/health staff, and 184 administration and support staff working in New Zealand’s 19 public prisons.
Recruitment seminars at Oxford and Leeds in the United Kingdom last month attracted strong interest. The seminars were aimed at experienced prison officers working in the Prison Service. Midland Regional Operations Manager Ian Taylor even took time out from his holiday in the United Kingdom to attend the seminars and offer his perspective on the New Zealand prison system. An information seminar was also held in The Hague, making use of existing networks in the area.
Back home, the latest recruitment drive centres around a newspaper insert, billboard and radio advertising, supported by posters and display material. As with last year’s campaign, the target market is people with energy, commitment, common sense and the ability to work well with different kinds of people.
Catherine attributes the efforts of PPS national office staff (particularly former Human Resources Manager Scott Gwynne and his team) to the campaign’s success last year and the positive response to the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Samoa recruitment activities.
In addition to its efforts overseas, PPS aims to establish a constant presence in the New Zealand recruitment marketplace.
“We need to recruit 1800 corrections officers over the next three years as new prison facilities come on stream, existing prison capacity is increased to match the growth in inmate numbers, and to keep pace with the normal rate of attrition.
“We want to generate ongoing interest in the prison service as a career choice.”
So what makes a good corrections officer?
Applicants don’t need any formal qualifications - PPS provides full training and there are plenty of opportunities for further training and development on the job. Applicants should have a commitment to making a difference, be good role models, have a reasonable standard of literacy and numeracy, a reasonable level of fitness, and must not have a criminal record.
The ‘Are You a Positive Role Model?’ campaign produced its first graduates earlier this year.
Twenty-four recruits attended the six week initial training course in Auckland before taking up their new positions at Mt Eden and Auckland Prisons.
The initial training course teaches new recruits everything they need to know in their role as corrections officers, including legislation, understanding inmate behaviour, safety and security procedures.
Public Prisons Service (PPS) Training Officer Cheryle Mikaere says the Auckland graduates were a culturally diverse group, comprising Filipino, Samoan, Fijian, South African, Indian, and Maori recruits.
“This made for a vibrant cultural awareness day during the course, with the recruits bringing traditional food and wearing costumes typical of their culture,” says Cheryle.
The success of the recruitment campaign forced a change to the way new recruits are trained, with initial training courses being held in all five PPS regions rather than at the staff college in Wellington.
“This was the first course to be held in the Auckland Region and it was a huge learning curve for us to manage, but we are looking forward to our next one,” says Cheryle.
“The group bonded well. As they got closer to the end of the course, they felt mixed emotions, but were generally excited about beginning their positions and putting their new skills into practice.”
The new recruits have already arranged an annual get-together as a group and will stay in touch with each other on the job.
Swapping traffic officer duties for life as a corrections officer in New Zealand has been a relatively smooth transition for Julian Van Rheede, a new recruit from South Africa.
Julian was one of the first recruits to go through corrections officer training following the ‘Are You a Positive Role Model?’ campaign, graduating in March and beginning his new job at Mt Eden Prison the same month.
He says there is a strong sense of camaraderie among the 14 other new recruits on the course who are now Julian’s colleagues at Mt Eden Prison.
“It has been a whole new experience for me, but I am enjoying my new job a lot,” says Julian.
“The other staff are really helpful and supportive, and the inmates are generally well behaved.”
Julian’s new skills have been put to the test in two incidents, when he went to the aid of an inmate attempting to harm himself and again when he uncovered contraband in an inmate’s cell.
Julian says he felt the training he received prepared him to deal with situations like these, but he still goes back over his notes from time to time.
“Mt Eden is a busy prison, so there’s something different happening every day. I enjoy the variety of shifts and the chance to spend more time with my family.”
Waikeria Prison’s award-winning farm has added to its growing reputation as an equal to any of its peers with recent successes drawing the attention of national news media.
Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) Instructor Ted Stone was named a finalist in the farm manager section of the Fonterra Westpac Dairy Excellence Awards.
The awards had the brief to ‘recognise, promote and celebrate dairy farming excellence’.
“It was an honour to be in the finals against all kinds of dairy farmers - sharemilkers, owners and managers,” says Ted.
The honour follows the achievements of Farm Manager Alan Bullick, who last year won three major Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Alan and Ted have helped increase dairy production on the farm more than three-fold from 500kg milk solids per hectare (MS/ha) nine years ago, to over 1600kg MS/ha today.
The decision to employ dairy farmers as instructors, prudent farm management and an upgrade of the dairy shed have not only made the century-old farm profitable, but also put it in the top 20% of the industry.
Ted and his team of four work on Waikeria’s number two farm in the heart of the dairy-rich Waikato, where they milk 1,300 cows daily. There are two other dairy farms and a cropping operation at Waikeria.
The efforts of Ted’s team caught the eye of national media - Television New Zealand sent a crew to the Prison and the resulting story featured on four separate current affairs shows.
Ted says CIE operations like this are an integral part of rehabilitating inmates because they provide the opportunity to instill work habits, work experience and skills that will help gain employment once inmates are released back into the community.
“There is something to be said for learning to get up on time, get to work on time, and then work through solidly until the end of the day,” says Ted.
“The dairy industry’s facing a workforce shortage at the moment.
“So by training inmates to have the skills necessary to work on farms on their release from prison, we not only benefit the inmates but also the industry as a whole.”
The dairy farms provide training in the full range of dairy management skills - health, breeding, milking, and other areas. Inmates gain NZQA credits where possible.
Student journalists followed an inmate through the criminal justice process as part of an initiative to increase understanding of justice sector agencies.
The annual seminars are a joint initiative between the Ministry of Justice, Corrections and Police. The aim is to give journalism students the opportunity to learn about the roles, responsibilities and inter-relationships of the three justice sector organisations.
Several groups of students were also able to visit their local prison and get a look at life behind the wire.
The seminars were well received by students, whose feedback included comments such as:
“I have a better understanding of the processes an inmate goes through from ‘admission’ through assessment, the daily routine and integration back into society from a prison official’s viewpoint.”
“I now know not to trust the media in the way they portray prisons and the treatment of inmates, particularly American media.” “It was definitely an experience I will not forget.”
This year journalism students from Waikato Institute of Technology, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and Auckland University of Technology took part in the seminars. Organisers are keen to see even more journalism courses participating next year.
The Community Probation Service (CPS) will soon begin testing new technologies designed to assist in monitoring offenders in the community.
The new technologies being tested include Voice Verification Technology (VVT) and satellite tracking, or Global Positioning System (GPS).
The testing is part of the Electronic Monitoring Pilot, brought about by the Parole (Extended Supervision) Amendment Act. The Act, enacted mid-2004, allows the New Zealand Parole Board to impose electronic monitoring on high-risk offenders released into the community.
Manager Operational Policy and Planning Tracy Mellor says the aim of the testing is to assess the potential benefits these additional technologies may add to the current monitoring regime of community-based offenders.
“Over the next few months we’re putting VVT and GPS through extensive trials designed to test their potential and their limits.”
Detailed consideration of whether and how these technologies can be used will be given at the end of the testing, with CPS looking closely at the reliability and security of the technologies, their ability to operate effectively in New Zealand conditions, and their usefulness in the New Zealand corrections environment.
The technologies Voice Verification Technology is a biometric application that captures an offender’s voiceprint and electronically stores it to a template. At each contact with the system, the offender must repeat a random phrase, which is then compared to the original template to confirm the offender’s identity.
GPS (Global Positioning System) uses the same satellite as navigation pilots and boaties, and could be used to track an offender’s movements, triggering an alert when an offender enters an exclusion zone, exits an inclusion zone, or the signal is lost. Records could also be used to monitor where an offender has been.
Nine Honours criminology students from Victoria University visited Wellington Prison recently to get a feel for life behind bars.
While equipped with plenty of theory, most of the students could only imagine what prison life was really like until Site Manager Walker Manaena showed the group around the site and explained a day in the life of an inmate at Wellington Prison.
“Prison is not a nice place to be, but my staff do an excellent job and try and make the best of the situation for the inmates, as well as taking the time to care about their welfare,” says Walker.
The group was accompanied by Professor of Criminology John Pratt, who takes university groups through the prisons regularly as part of their criminology course. He had high praise for Walker, who he said was open and helpful.
“It’s important for the students to have a practical insight into prison life. They may be working in the justice sector in a few years,” says John.
Paddling a waka down the Whanganui River has reinforced the bond between Corrections and two riverside marae.
Maori Staff Network members from Probation and Offender Services and the Public Prisons Service took the two 18-metre waka down the river from Te Ao Hou Marae to Putiki Marae following an approach from local iwi.
Midland Regional Advisor Maori Service Development Te Waihanea Hakaraia says the marae are only a short distance apart by road, but the most logical way to move the waka was on the awa (river).
“Soon there were two teams of 12 eager paddlers - all ready with lifejackets and a support craft,” says Te Waihanea.
“There was a lot of laughter and fun, and the wairua (spirit) did all the bonding for us, with the kaumatua accompanying us all the way with karakia (prayers).”
The fibreglass waka, named Tu Whare Puru and Te Ao Hou, were built as part of an iwi development project. The waka, based at Te Ao Hou Marae, have enabled local iwi to enter several national waka competitions.
Te Waihanea says the river expedition is the latest link in an ongoing relationship between Corrections and the marae.
Recently, Te Ao Hou hosted the marae component of the local initial training course for corrections officers, and held several staff training workshops on cultural responsiveness.
Putiki Marae also recently hosted a hui
between Corrections’ head office staff and Maori service providers of the Maori therapeutic programmes within the Maori Focus Units.
Kaumatua Heemi Takarangi says offering Corrections staff the experience of paddling the waka was an example of whakawhanaungatanga and kotahitanga (working together as one).
Te Waihanea says the interaction has had some positive spin-offs for Corrections, and the relationship gives staff a direct link with tangata whenua of the geographic area surrounding Wanganui Prison.
“It’s given Maori staff access to local kuia and kaumatua and to marae facilities, which supports our goal of having a culturally responsive workforce. We’ve also been able to raise awareness of the Department’s work, and take a more inclusive approach to decision making.”
A study designed to show the impact of the new Otago Region Corrections Facility on the local community was launched last month.
The before and after study, the first of its kind in New Zealand, aims to measure the effect of the development of a corrections facility on the local community.
National Property Manager William Whewell says he is delighted the study is being undertaken.
“The study was commissioned in response to a request from the Tokomairiro Awareness Group (a group of concerned local residents) but we are obviously as keen as the community to see the results.“
Corrections has appointed Phoenix Research to carry out the first stage of the study and the study will be repeated once the facility has been operating for a few years.
“It’s the first study we have carried out on a new facility and will significantly add to what is already known about how New Zealand prisons fit into the community,” says William.
Residents have been randomly selected and invited to participate in a telephone survey. The researchers have also undertaken interviews with local community leaders and service providers.
There is now an enormous body of evidence that indicates treatment works, and also some very good guidance as to the underlying principles of effectiveness. Two and half thousand evaluations of treatment indicate that, when implemented properly, programmes can make a real difference in terms of downstream offending rates.
Corrections in New Zealand, along with other enlightened jurisdictions, has developed an approach to rehabilitation that rests on the principle of risk, need, and responsivity. Put most simply, this means putting the most effort into high-risk offenders, targeting certain problem areas associated with criminality, and ensuring those programmes match the learning styles, abilities, and motivational levels of programme participants.
While few would question the soundness of such an approach, achieving treatment gains in real life settings with offenders has proved to be easier said than done. Several jurisdictions have found that, while adhering to the general principles of effective correctional practice, programmes have failed to deliver to the expected level. A good example of that was the large scale roll out of cognitive skills programmes in the United Kingdom. The wider implementation of this initiative yielded results that were well below those which had been obtained from an earlier pilot study.
Part of the difficulty stems from translating general principles into specific business rules. While the literature would appear to support the view that “more is better than less” as far as treatment goes, and a greater number of individual factors should be addressed in treatment, there is a comparative lack of information answering the critical question of “just how much treatment is sufficient”, and “how many criminogenic needs should be targeted to produce a reduction in reoffending”.
A recent elegantly conceived study carried out in a prison setting by Guy Bourgon and Barbara Armstrong 1 provides some much needed guidance on these critical issues.
In their investigation, they evaluated the impact of three different treatment “dosages” (100, 200 and 300 hours) on the downstream offending of prison inmates who were assessed as being at various levels of reoffending risk.
While the overall conclusion was that treatment played a significant role in reducing recidivism, more detailed analyses indicated a relationship between the amount of treatment and levels of downstream recidivism. They concluded, while 100 hours of treatment could be effective for offenders of moderate risk with a few criminogenic needs, this level of treatment appeared to be insufficient for offenders who are at higher risk and/or who had multiple needs. Those offenders appeared to require lengthier treatment programmes with a minimum of 200 or more hours. Those offenders who were assessed as being both high risk and having multiple needs appeared to require in excess of 300 hours of intervention to impact on recidivism.
While the authors sounded a cautionary note in that their research had not been able to control all variables, the study does go a long way towards providing answers to some fundamental questions. It is clear those offenders at highest risk with multiple needs require a good deal of treatment resource, and more limited and less intensive interventions should be reserved for those at lower risk.
One final point of interest which emerged from this research was an apparent linear relationship between treatment “dosage” and reductions in recidivism. In effect, these programmes seemed to reduce recidivism at the rate of approximately one percent for each week they were delivered. In other words, offenders exposed to a five week programme showed a five percent reduction in recidivism while those receiving the 15 week programme had reductions in recidivism approaching 15 percent.
Corrections' te reo Maori strategy aims to promote and increase the use of the Maori language among staff.
Senior Human Resources Adviser (Responsiveness) Bob Hill says all staff will be encouraged to learn and speak te reo Maori, and to understand the importance of its use.
“An understanding of te reo Maori is particularly important when working with iwi, hapu and whanau, with community groups, service providers and other agencies, as well as with Maori offenders.”
As te reo Maori is an official language of New Zealand, the Department offers training and development opportunities for staff to learn the Maori language.
“Learning te reo Maori provides staff with the opportunity to develop a set of capabilities and intervention tools they can use in their work with Maori offenders, and to communicate with Maori communities in te reo Maori,” says Bob.
“Around 50 percent of inmates identify themselves as Maori, so speaking and learning te reo Maori is an essential element in our ability to respond to the needs of Maori offenders and work to reduce their re-offending.”
Back to Top ^1 Bourgon G., & Armstrong B. (2005) Transferring the Principles of Effective Treatment into a “Real World” Prison Setting, Criminal Justice and Behaviour, Vol. 32 pp 3-25
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