The piloting for the new intensive ciminogenic* programme is underway at Waikeria Prison in the Waikato with potential candidates currently being screened.

This Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme, to start in July, is for higher risk offenders. Ten prisoners will undertake the 33 week pilot programme, delivered by Corrections staff - a psychologist and a programme facilitator.

The programme has been designed to incorporate international and local research on best practice in rehabilitation programmes.

Some of the key objectives of the Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme (STU-RP) are:

• motivate offenders to change, or want to change
• help offenders develop group participation skills, and to become objective observers of their own problem behaviours
• assist them to look at their patterns of offending, and identify high risk situations across their offending
• assist offenders to recognise the negative and/or problem emotions, thinking and behaviour linked to their offending
• assist them to develop relationship skills and appropriate copings skills, and produce their own relapse prevention plans.

Following the trial at Waikeria, two further units will be set up – one at Spring Hill Corrections Facility which is due to open later this year, and the other in a southern region prison.

Meanwhile, 80 programme facilitators have completed the training needed to deliver the new Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme to offenders in prisons and serving community-based sentences. The 140-hour long programme is now offered in all five prison regions and in main centres in the community. The training also equips facilitators to deliver the Short Rehabilitation Programme, a brief version of the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme.

Almost 1200 prisoners and offenders in the community will undertake programmes delivered by Corrections in the current financial year.

* criminogenic programmes help offenders address the reasons for their crimes

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ISSN 1178-8453

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