Welcome to our first 2009 edition of Corrections News.
As the new year unfolds I am looking forward to working with Hon Judith Collins, the new Minister of Corrections. I have known the Minister for a long time and I am keen to work closely with her to improve public safety, reduce re-offending and ensure sentence compliance.
A change in Government presents the opportunity to think about what we do, how we do it and if it can be done differently or better. The Minister has encouraged the Department to provide bold advice to her on how we manage offenders in ways that are more effective and less costly.
As you will have seen in the news, the world faces difficult financial times over the next few years. This will inevitably impact on Corrections but we will continue to think openly and creatively about ways to manage growing numbers of offenders in an environment with constrained resources.
I will be encouraging our staff to approach change with an open mind and to think about what is realistic within the context of tighter financial times. By doing so, they will be better placed to fulfil their duties as public servants to support our Minister.
I have also briefed the Minister on the Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators (APCCA) held in Malaysia late last year.
It was very apparent that regardless of cultural and operational differences, Corrections facilities worldwide face similar issues and tell the same stories.
Drug and alcohol addiction is a case in point. Drugs fuel crime and prisons everywhere grapple with the problem. It’s also interesting to see that most jurisdictions are very focused on rehabilitation and that there is wide agreement that engaging families is a critically important part of the rehabilitation process.
APCCA is an important event on the Department’s calendar and for good reason. APCCA works. We saw this firsthand with Fiji which has adopted Singapore’s Yellow Ribbon reintegration programme they heard about at a previous conference. It involves a high level of participation and commitment from the communities that prisoners are released into.
We will be considering carefully the things we saw and heard at the conference and I‘m sure our fellow APCCA members will be doing the same. I remain confident that the New Zealand Department of Corrections provides a good service. I am proud of our emphasis on handling prisoners safely and humanely, reducing re-offending and ensuring that sentences and orders are complied with.
Barry Matthews
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ISSN 1178-8453