Serving a Prison Sentence

Offenders can be in prison because they are on remand, or because they have been sentenced to a short (under two years) or long (over two years) prison sentence (further details on these sentences are in the following topics).

When an offender first arrives at a prison, they will spend a short time in an assessment unit while their security classification is determined. This will have some bearing on:

• what the prisoner can and cannot do while in prison, and
• where they will be housed.

Sentence plans

A sentence plan is then developed for almost all offenders. The exceptions are very short servers (those sentenced to 2 months or less, and therefore having a maximum of 1 month to serve).

The sentence plan outlines the activities to be undertaken by the prisoner while they are in prison. It takes account of:

• their security classification
• any health or other assessed needs, and
• any risks associated with the individual offender.

It is reviewed during the course of the sentence, particularly if the sentence is a long one. A number of services are also available to assist and support offenders to prepare for their release from prison.

Activities available to prisoners

The types of activities available in prisons include:

• education
• employment
• rehabilitative activities, and
• reintegrative activities.

Rehabilitation programmes available in prisons include:

• short motivational programmes
• specialist rehabilitation programmes (including programmes designed to address violence propensity, sexual offending against children, and substance abuse), and
• comprehensive rehabilitation programmes (designed to address a broad range of needs).

Reintegrative programmes include:

• literacy
• numeracy
• employment-related training
• BWLS, and
• parenting skills.

There are also a number of Maori initiatives that aim to address re-offending through Maori culture and values.

The Department of Corrections offers employment-related opportunities to offenders within prisons and on supervised work parties working outside the prison. Some offenders are also able to access the release to work scheme, under which they work in the community during the day and return to prison at night.

Specialised staff working for the Department of Corrections (reintegration case workers) and for the Ministry of Social Development (Work and Income), as well as probation officers, work with offenders to maximise their readiness for release from prison. Temporary releases and home visits can be used as part of this process.