On an average day in March 2008, the Department of Corrections managed around 7,600 prisoners across 20 prisons, and approximately 31,800 offenders who were serving around 37,000 community-based sentences and orders, in approximately 150 Community Probation & Psychological Services offices around New Zealand
To do this, the Department had around 6,900 staff. In prisons, this included 3,570 corrections officers, 290 instructors and 200 nursing staff. Community Probation & Psychological Services employed 1,880 staff, including 1,350 probation staff (community work supervisors, and administrative and managerial staff) 135 psychological service staff (psychologists and support staff), and 145 programme facilitators and support staff in the remaining parts of Community Probation & Psychological Services.
In recent years, the offender population has grown significantly, putting significant strain our the Department's capacity.
Despite this strain the Department has done its job well with key indicators in prisons tracking positively downwards, including the rate of escapes, serious assaults, and drug use amongst prisoners.
Changes to community sentences as part of the Government's Effective Interventions work aims to halt the growth in the prison population - however this in turn increases the numbers of offenders the Department has to manage in the community. Not only has the range and complexity of community sentences and orders grown, but the number of community-based offenders is expected to grow markedly in the near future too. Adapting to this growth is a major strategic challenge for the Department.
There has been a steady growth in the number of community sentences and orders over the past five years. The significant growth outlined in the Community-based Sentences and Orders Muster graph from June 2007 to May 2008 (at bottom right) coincides with the introduction of new community-based sentences and orders.
These new sentences and orders have seen some offenders, who would have previously been sentenced to custodial sentences, receiving community-based sentences.
With the shift to managing lower-risk offenders in the community, rather than in prison, we can expect to see the prison population consisting of higher-risk offenders with greater rehabilitative needs. Currently within prisons, approximately 30 per cent of sentenced prisoners are serving sentences for violence offences, and approximately 17 per cent for sexual offences.
Māori offenders are overrepresented in the offender population. Whilst approximately 15 per cent of the general population are Māori, Māori make up about 49 per cent of the prison population and 45 per cent of the community-based offender population. The needs of Māori are therefore a critical consideration in everything that the Department does.
Re-offending is a key issue of concern. Of all people released from prison, 49 per cent are reconvicted of a new offence within 48 months from release. The Department therefore offers a wide range of rehabilitation programmes to both community-based offenders and prisoners to address needs which lead to offending behaviour.
A key focus for the Department is providing offenders with work-related training and experience. In March 2008, over 2,000 prisoners were employed by Corrections Inmate Employment, in industries as diverse as forestry, farming, joinery, concrete prefabrication, catering, laundry services, and printing. In addition to this, many more prisoners are also involved in prison-based work and training.