22 June 2006
The Department of Corrections welcomes the opening of New Zealand's first purpose-built women's corrections facility by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Helen Clark.
Corrections Chief Executive Barry Matthews says today's opening of the 286-bed Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility (ARWCF) is an important milestone for the Department and is needed to accommodate a growing number of female prisoners in the region.
"ARWCF is a purpose-built Facility incorporating design features that are intended to be the most effective in terms of safety, security and rehabilitation. These features are consistent with modern prison design internationally and our experience in managing New Zealand prisons," says Mr Matthews.
"The Facility allows prisoners from the upper-North Island to serve their sentences close to their family/whanau allowing them to more easily maintain contact with these important support networks."
"A range of rehabilitative, training and employment programmes will be undertaken at ARWCF. These are aimed at providing prisoners with the skills and confidence they need to live successfully in the community on their release."
"The site also incorporates robust security technology. A highly secure perimeter wall with a power fence surrounds the entire complex and there is one controlled point of entry," explains Mr Matthews.
The first prisoners will arrive on the site in August and the Facility is planned to be operating at full capacity by the end of the year.
ARWCF is the second of four new corrections facilities to open. The Northland Region Corrections Facility has been operating successfully since March 2005. The Spring Hill Corrections Facility and the Otago Region Corrections Facility are under construction and are due to open in 2007.