Every month Corrections receives about 250 pieces of official correspondence on subjects as diverse as how our prisons could be improved, the work of sheriffs in Arizona and suggestions for programmes for prisoners to train dogs.
At the helm to ensure that correspondence is dealt with in a timely and effective manner are Corrections’ two Ministerial Coordinator staff. They log letters and emails electronically, forward them to the best person to respond, and then monitor replies. They are also responsible for maintaining correspondence archives.
Madeline Smith became a Ministerial Coordinator for Corrections in 2004 and says the range of subjects and requests found in correspondence is very broad. There are requests for information through the Official Information Act, advice and suggestions for improvements to prisons and research and invitations.
Letter-writers to Corrections include prisoners, whanau and friends of prisoners, the media and the general public.
“Dealing effectively and professionally with all correspondence is an important part of ensuring that Corrections is an open and accessible organisation. In terms of dealing with Official Information Act requests, we must balance the public’s right to information with security, safety and individual privacy issues,” says Madeline.
Madeline says that one of the job challenges is to log and file correspondence in such a way that it can be located easily when it is required by Corrections staff.
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ISSN 1178-8453