New drug treatment unit opens at Hawkes Bay Prison
Care NZ Chief Executive Tim Harding (left) and
Minister of Corrections Hon. Damien O'Connor.
Hawkes Bay Prison’s new drug treatment unit was officially opened by Minister of Corrections Hon Damien O’Connor on May 25.
“Prisoners from the Hawkes Bay region will now have access to a highly successful drug treatment programme in their area, allowing them to complete their rehabilitation close to family, whanau and other support networks,” said Mr O’Connor.
“Providing such intensive specialised units gives motivated prisoners the tools to turn their lives around, by allowing them to address long-standing health issues such as addictions, which are often a significant driver in their offending.”
The addiction treatment programme at the unit will be run by Care NZ, which already provides similar services at Arohata, Waikeria and Christchurch Prisons’ drug treatment units.
The 24-week programme will include one-to-one and group cognitive-behavioural therapy, education on addiction and change, and building new skills – especially social skills.
Two recent evaluations, undertaken by Corrections, show that the drug treatment units are indeed proving successful in reducing re-offending in those who complete the programmes.
The first evaluation suggests that offenders who have been through a drug treatment unit are around 13 percent less likely to be reimprisoned after 24 months than if they had not attended treatment.
The second evaluation, done by Corrections Psychological Service, focussed on which kinds of participant benefit most from the drug treatment units. The findings suggest that people aged 30 and above, and those whose offending was directly related to substance-abuse were most likely to benefit from the units. Maori and non-Maori participants were equally likely to benefit.
The drug treatment unit at Hawkes Bay Prison is the fourth such unit in the prison system. Over the next 12 months, two more units will open – one at Rimutaka Prison in July 2007 and one at Spring Hill Prison in July 2008.
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