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I enjoy seeing Corrections staff further their careers so it gave me great pleasure to attend the 2007 Future Leaders graduation ceremony in early September. That five of the seven participants have already been promoted to more senior positions within the Department is a credit to them. Feedback received through the Prison Services Review submission process is now being considered. I expect toannounce the final, agreed structure in late October, early November. The constructive, forward-thinking approach expressed in most submissions is a quality we look for in leaders so judging by the quality of the submissions received, Corrections is in good heart. |
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Another positive event this month was the opening of Spring Hill. In an ideal world we would have no need to build new prisons but prisoner numbers continue to rise and need to be accommodated for. Spring Hill will be a great asset in helping us manage offenders, reduce reoffending and successfully reintegrate prisoners back into the community.
As I had expected, the new community sentences were introduced seamlessly on 1 October. I want to thank CPPS managers and staff and IT staff for their hard work and commitment.
Corrections’ commitment to drug rehabilitation for prisoners took another step forward with the opening of the Rimutaka Prison DTU on October 2. The re-imprisonment rate (after 24 months) of offenders who go through a treatment unit is currently 13 percent lower than for comparable offenders who do not attend treatment.
Our efforts to stem the flow of drugs into prisons are working. Positive results from general random drug testing at Tongariro/Rangipo Prison plummeted from 50% in 1998 to 14% in the year to June 2007. And at Christchurch Men’s Prison they dropped from 48% in March 1998 to 17% in the year to June 2007. Everyone involved can be proud of these results.
Corrections’ internal audit policies and procedures were subjected to close scrutiny when our Internal Audit staff recently hosted four senior government auditing officials from Pakistan, Samoa, the Maldives and the Solomon Islands. It is to their credit that Victoria University School of Accounting and Commercial selected them as a role model.
As a result of wide public, business and general visitor interest in CIE’s display at the Auckland Home Show, additional business opportunities are opening up for our CIE activities, Release to Work opportunities and businesses inside the wire.
Waist restraints, transport conditions and provisional vehicle standards in an operational setting with prisoners have now been trialled at Rimutaka Prison, Christchurch Men’s, Waikeria and Auckland Prisons. A full evaluation of the trial will be taking place throughout October.
Barry Matthews
Chief Executive
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ISSN 1178-8453
