I recently returned from an international round table meeting in Denmark which was an opportunity to compare some of the trends in a number of European countries with what is happening in New Zealand. Interestingly, with only two exceptions, prisoner numbers are rising and largely seem to be following legislative and policy changes driven by community and government initiatives to get tough on crime. This of course mirrors what has been happening here since legislative changes in 2002.
They are all having difficulty with cell-phones in prisons, and containment of people with mental health difficulties rather than in more appropriate facilities. Like New Zealand, they are all undertaking different new initiatives to address these and other issues.
Closer to home, I was pleased to attend the opening of the new Otago Corrections Facility on 10 May. The facility is the third of the four new facilities we are building as part of our Regional Prisons Development Project, and its opening is a great achievement for all involved. It has been finished on time, in spite of the fact that the original plan for a 220-bed facility had to be modified to 335 beds to meet new Ministry of Justice projections for prison musters.
Of the 220 staff who will be working on the site, over half have been recruited locally. Those staff who have moved to the area are already settling in to their homes, schools and sports clubs, benefiting the local economy and the community as they do so. Corrections has also been working in partnership with the Clutha District Council to help develop infrastructure for the region, contributing to the upgrade of the Milton waste water plant. (Please see our cover story for more information on the Otago Facility).
The recent Prison Fellowship New Zealand conference, "When the Prisoner Comes Home", focused on rehabilitation and reintegration and was especially timely given that prisoner numbers reached a peak of 8076 this month. The conference was well-attended by Corrections managers and staff and I commend the organisers - Kim Workman in particular - and speakers for making it happen.
The fact is that almost all prisoners will be released one day, whether with the safety net of parole or not. Corrections' reintegration caseworkers give practical support to those prisoners with the greatest needs, but we can only do so much. How we as a society treat and support ex-prisoners in the long-term has a huge impact on whether they can transform their lives. (For more on reintegration, see the interview with Dr Shadd Maruna, one of the speakers at the conference, on page eight).
The Department has recently announced the new head office structure that will enable us to meet the demands placed on us in the medium and long-term. This new structure will ensure greater co-ordination of services for offenders, with an increased emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration.
It will also mean we have clear accountability for all service delivery. Co-ordination of services at a regional level will mean better co-operation between our two, newly consolidated and newly named, service arms - Prison Services, and the Community Probation and Psychological Services. A new internal investigation team is another key improvement.
Staff were fully consulted prior to the restructure, and I was gratified by the numerous, often very detailed, submissions from staff that I received. Indeed, the Senior Management Team and I delayed finalising the restructure so we could absorb and properly consider all the submissions.
Staff involvement is critical to the development of any large organisation and the level of involvement we’ve seen during this restructure augurs very well for the future of Corrections.
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ISSN 1178-8453