'Guilty as' but moving forward - prisoners reflect at Puna Tatari

Puna Tatari Special Treatment Unit, based at Spring Hill Corrections Facility, runs a nine-month rehabilitation programme for serious repeat offenders who have a high risk of re-offending. Most of the offenders have a history of violence.

The first group of seven prisoners graduated from the programme in late March.

“Looking back at my life I feel guilty as, but I know I can move forward. I am going to be one of those people making a difference in life,” says one of the graduates.

“In the past I tried to lessen my tension with anger and violence. By using mindfulness [learnt on the programme] it really hit me in the heart: what the hell have I been doing to the people in my life? I felt ashamed,” he says.

Prisoners volunteer to attend Puna Tatari, which provides a ‘community of change’ environment, and gives both group and individual cognitive-behavioural treatment.

The programme aims to reduce re-offending by motivating prisoners to want to change and giving them the skills to do so. Modules covered in the programme include offence mapping, distress tolerance, cognitive restructuring, and te tahu whanau (Māori mental health).

Principal Psychologist Pieter van Rensburg says offenders find the programme supportive, but challenging, especially the ‘offence mapping’ component, which requires them to talk about their offences and the factors that contributed to them.

“We can see the anxiety building when the offence mapping component is due. Some men became verbally challenging, one became more withdrawn, and one came to talk to me about the value of continuing the course,” he says.

“They often ask ‘do I have to talk about my offences?’ and they are required to, but we tell them it’s different from a court case. They are in control of mapping their offence out on paper. They can see the value of it.”

Before entering the unit, Corrections psychologists assess each prisoner to identify in which situations and circumstances the man is most likely to commit a crime. For many prisoners, risky situations involve drugs and alcohol and certain groups of people, such as fellow gang members.

Once these high-risk situations have been identified, prisoners work with psychologists, programme facilitators, a reintegration worker and the rest of the group to change their ways of thinking and behaving.

Pieter says the cognitive restructuring section of the course deals with the distorted beliefs the offenders may have.

“A typical belief would be something like ‘Violence is normal’. We restructure the belief to something acceptable such as ‘I don’t need to use violence in order to be in control’,” he says.

The programme at Puna Tatari (which also operates at Waikeria Prison) will be evaluated as soon as enough men have completed it to give a valid sample size.

The programme is based upon international research which shows that programmes of this type do help offenders stop committing crimes. It is widely accepted that they contribute to at least a 10 per cent reduction in crime – which is viewed as a good result.

Pieter says the programme at Puna Tatari is likely to achieve this kind of result or better.

Puna Tatari – a pool of still waters

When water is running it symbolises life. When water is captured in a pool, it is motionless and in need of purification. A pool of still water also reflects the image of the person looking into it. Men who choose to come to Puna Tatari get the opportunity to reflect.