Auckland Prison, also known as Paremoremo, accommodates 681 prisoners and contains New Zealand’s only specialist maximum-security prison unit. It is located on Auckland's North Shore, employs 313 staff and is part of Prison Services' Northern Region.
The original part of the prison, East Division, opened in 1968 and at that time was one of the most modern institutions of its kind in the world.
To relieve overcrowding at other institutions, in particular Mt Eden Prison, Auckland West division was added to house medium-security male prisoners in 1981. Auckland Prison also has a minimum-security work and pre-release unit, Te Mahinga, and a special treatment unit for child sex offenders.
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Further information
Security
Reducing re-offending
Motivational programmes
Cognitive behavioural programme
Specialist units
Prisoner employment
Education
Reintegration
Working with the community
Security
Protecting the public is the Department's highest priority and this is accomplished through the secure incarceration of prisoners.
The level of physical security at each prison varies and is dependant on the type of prisoner accommodated. Because Auckland Prison is a maximum security prison and accommodates prisoners who are assessed as being a high risk to the public, it has a high level of physical security.
The maximum security part of the prison, East Division, is surrounded by a highly secure perimeter fence covered in razor wire. Razor wire is also laid between the unit and the fence. East Wing has only one point of entry which has a highly sensitive scanner which every person must pass through.
Anyone carrying items into East Division is required to bring them through in a clear plastic bag. Every person entering is also liable to be searched. East Division has a centralised CCTV system, with cameras monitored from the control room in the centre of the wing at all times. All cells are made of solid concrete and have bars on the windows. All exercise yards are enclosed. There is also a higher staff/prisoner ratio in east block than in other units.
West Division accommodates high-medium security prisoners. Like East Wing, it has only one point of entry and any person entering the unit is liable to be searched .There are also CCTV cameras monitored from the Guardroom, and sensors between the fences of the West Division.
There is also one minimum security unit, one low medium security unit and the Te Piriti unit which houses low security prisoners. These units have a lower level of security as prisoners in these units are deemed to be a minimal risk to public safety.
Reducing re-offending
Reducing re-offending is critical if the Department is to meet its overriding objective of improving public safety. Reducing re-offending means fewer offenders commit crime after completing their sentence - resulting in fewer victims, a reduction in the cost of crime and safer communities.
Auckland Prison provides prisoners with a range of rehabilitation programmes and interventions that are designed to address the primary causes of their offending and prepare them for release.
The most intensive interventions are targeted at prisoners who are assessed as being a high risk of re-offending, that have severe needs that caused their offending and are motivated to make constructive changes in their lives.
Every prisoner entering Auckland Prison receives a sentence plan which they are required to comply with. The focus of the sentence plan is on reducing re-offending and is developed following an assessment of a prisoner's risk, needs and motivation. This ensures they are placed on the most appropriate and timely programmes and interventions to address the underlying causes of their offending.
Rehabilitation programmes and interventions provided at Auckland Prison fall into four main categories: motivational, cognitive-behavioural, employment and education, and reintegrative.
Motivational programmes
Motivational programmes are designed to increase motivation and to encourage and prepare prisoners to confront the causes of their offending.
There are two primary motivational programmes used at Auckland Prison: the Tikanga Maori Programme and the Short Motivational Programme.
Tikanga Maori programmes use Maori philosophy, values, knowledge and practice to help prisoners increase their understanding of their Maori identity and their values, and improve their self-esteem to help them become motivated to address the causes of their offending.
The Short Motivational Programme aims to increase motivation by increasing a prisoner's problem awareness and recognition, reducing ambivalence, addressing cognitive distortions, and helping them consider options and formulate goals.
Cognitive-behavioural programmes
Cognitive-behavioural programmes aim to reduce re-offending by forcing prisoners to address the causes of their offending and teach them to identify, analyse and solve problems and make decisions. Prisoners also learn how to understand the consequences of their actions and gain control over their behaviour.
Auckland Prison provides prisoners with the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme. This programme is designed for prisoners in the middle risk range - those not considered high risk but still enough of a risk to warrant rehabilitation. The programme increases problem awareness and recognition, reduces ambivalence, addresses cognitive distortions, and teaches prisoners to consider options and formulate goals.
The Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme is targeted at a range of prisoners and is designed to cover the common elements of all offending.
Auckland Prison also runs the Saili Matagi Violence Prevention Programme. The programme aims to assist male Pacific prisoners to identify and change their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that have resulted in their violent offending and ultimately reduce intergenerational violence and the likelihood of re-offending.
Specialist units
Auckland Prison has the 60-bed Te Piriti Sex Offenders Treatment Unit, one of two such units in the country. Te Piriti delivers group-based treatment within a therapeutic environment for prisoners with convictions for sexual offences against children. Te Piriti incorporates Maori cultural elements in its treatment approach. Evaluations have shown that these programmes are proving to be effective in reducing re-offending.
Auckland Prison has a Special Needs Unit which accommodates prisoners with complex mental health needs and who are unable to be maintained in the general prison population. Prisoners in the Unit receive twice weekly visits by the Waitemata Health forensic team, which includes a psychiatrist, forensic nurse and social worker. A structured daily plan helps integrate prisoners into the general prison population to ensure they have adequate support and appropriate supervision for their return to the community.
Prisoner employment
Prisoner employment, managed by Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE), plays an integral part in the rehabilitation of prisoners because it provides prisoners with essential work skills and habits which can assist them to find employment upon release. The last prison census in 2003 found that over half of all prisoners were not in paid employment prior to sentencing.
Prisoner employment increases the chance a prisoner will find sustainable work on release and research shows this will result in a decreased number of prisoners being reconvicted.
Auckland Prison offers a wide range of employment:
Prisoners are able to earn credits under the National Qualification Framework, allowing them to work towards qualifications whilst they are engaged in employment and training.
Minimum security prisoners who are nearing release may also be eligible to participate in Release to Work. Release to Work is a form of temporary release that allows prisoners to be in paid work in the community during the day. It provides prisoners with a stable work record and the job is often carried on after a prisoner's release from prison.
Education
There is a strong relationship between a lack of education and criminal behaviour. At the time of the last prison census in 2003, 51.7 per cent of all prisoners had no formal qualifications.
Educational achievement and participation can equip prisoners for self-sufficiency and reduce the barriers to living an offence-free life. A prisoner can enrol in any subject or education programme they consider themselves capable of achieving.
There are five main types of education offered to prisoners at Auckland Prison:
In addition, computer and hobby classes are also available.
Reintegration
Reintegration programmes aim to reduce re-offending by addressing problems likely to increase a prisoner's risk of re-offending on release.
Being imprisoned can have significant social consequences for a prisoner. They are likely to have lost their job and accommodation, they are unlikely to be able to support their families and their relationships can be adversely affected in other ways. Combined, this can lead offenders into a cycle of institutionalisation.
Auckland Prison provides two reintegrative programmes:
Reintegration Caseworkers also work with high-need prisoners at Auckland Prison to address their specific reintegrative needs and help them prepare for release in the community.
The Ministry of Social Development have Work and Income work brokers and case managers permanently based at Auckland Prison to help prisoners nearing release find suitable work before they are released. Prisoners who find sustainable employment on release are less likely to re-offend.
Working with the community
The community has an important role to play in the rehabilitation and transition of prisoners back into the community by supporting and encouraging prisoners to live an offence free life.
Many sectors of the community are involved in rehabilitating offenders and helping them move back into the community.
Auckland Prison has Kaiwhakamana and Fautua Pasefika working with prisoners. Kaiwhakamana and Fautua Pasefika are volunteer roles within the prison, providing cultural and spiritual support to Maori and Pacific prisoners while they are incarcerated, in preparation for them being successfully reintegrated into their communities. Often Kaumatua from local marae, church ministers or community leaders will undertake this role.
Auckland Prison also works with a number of support agencies, including New Zealand Prisoner's Aid and Rehabilitation Society (NZPARS), Prison Fellowship and the Salvation Army to support the successful reintegration of prisoners back into the community.
A large number of people also regularly donate their time, energy and expertise as volunteers with Auckland Prison. Volunteers provide invaluable support for prisoners and their families and give prisoners the opportunity to spend their free time constructively through music, art or sport.