In recent years, New Zealand and Canada have shared views and information on initiatives aimed at improving offender management, but there is still plenty for the two organisations to learn from each other, says Karen.
“I was blown away by the access they gave me to their facilities and the hospitality they showed, and it was interesting to note that they had heard of some of our recent initiatives,” she says.
“In particular, they were really impressed with our work at the Northland Region Corrections Facility, and with kaitiaki and kaiwhakamana.”
Karen organised the visit through colleagues she met during a United Nations posting at a prison in Kosovo a year ago. Through them she was able to spend 10 days researching Correctional Service Canada facilities, a highlight being a visit to the Special Handling Unit, or ‘supermax’ prison, near Montreal.
“The Unit manages the most violent prisoners and offers programmes to modify their behaviour so they can join a mainstream maximum security prison,” Karen says.
Monthly meetings involving high-ranking prison and psychological service officials are held to review each prisoner in the Unit. Prisoners who return to maximum security are monitored for another six months.
A visit to the 40-bed Willow Creek Healing Lodge for low security indigenous offenders at Duck Lake in Saskatchewan was a very different experience.
Facilities such as Willow Creek helped inspire New Zealand’s Maori focus units.
Like New Zealand, Canada’s indigenous people are overrepresented in prison - under three percent of Canada’s population is indigenous, but they account for 15 percent of offenders.
The Willow Creek buildings are designed like traditional indigenous tepees and each can house six prisoner cells or multiple programme rooms.
Karen also studied models for the collection and use of intelligence information and crime trend mapping, especially in relation to gangs.
Also of note, all Canadian prisons are going smoke free this month because they are classed as Government buildings. Nicotine patches will be among the assistance offered to help prisoners to quit.
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ISSN 1178-8453