This has been a year of many changes at Corrections. We have implemented new structures for both head office and the Prison Service, we have opened two prisons, and we have now been managing the new suite of community-based sentences for several weeks.
We also have a new Minister, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Hon Phil Goff into the role. I look forward to working with him to consolidate our position and address the challenges that face us. I’d also like to thank the Hon Damien O’Connor, our previous Minister, and to acknowledge some of his key achievements - especially in the areas of prisoner employment, and greater availability of drug and alcohol treatment for offenders.
More change is on the horizon in the form of new legislation. The Corrections Amendment Bill 2007 is being discussed by Government. Public submissions will soon be invited and this level of debate about correctional matters can only be a good thing. The Bill is intended to reinforce and strengthen the Corrections Act 2004 in the provisions that enable us to reduce contraband in prisons.
The other potential law change is the Mothers and Babies Bill, which, if it is passed, is likely to mean that babies could stay with their imprisoned mothers for longer (currently a mother in prison can keep her baby with her for up to six months). This would mean Corrections would have to modify and extend facilities in our three women’s prisons in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
It has been a challenging year, with an all-time high of over 8,000 prisoners for several months of the year, and more than 30,000 offenders on community-based sentences at any one time. These high volumes of offenders, coupled with a tight labour market and staff shortages, have meant a great deal of pressure on all existing procedures and staff.
Over the last month, the cyclical drop in prisoner numbers has thankfully started, though they are still over 8,000, but the number of offenders on community-based sentences is likely to rise as we manage more of the suite of sentences now available through the Effective Interventions initiatives. Still, as I said in my address to the Law and Order Select Committee on November 7, we have met our key performance indicators despite these challenges, and staff can congratulate themselves on getting the job done under difficult circumstances.
The Government recently announced a proposal to appoint an Ombudsman with responsibility for the independent oversight of prison complaints and serious issues, such as deaths in custody. The Ministry of Justice has been consulting with us for some time on the proposal and we fully support it.
Corrections will, in most cases, still need to complete its own internal investigations when incidents occur and the proposed changes are in no way any criticism of the work of our inspectorate. The inspectorate has always acted with the utmost professionalism and integrity and there has never been any suggestion their advice and investigations have been anything but thorough and impartial. They will continue to visit institutions on a regular basis and will remain a key part of the Department’s independent internal processes.
Barry Matthews
Chief Executive
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ISSN 1178-8453