Complaints statistics
Updated 12 July 2023
PC.01 Prison Complaints
PC.01 complaints about prisons can be made in confidence to unit staff or directly to prison management. Where possible, we try to resolve complaints at the lowest appropriate level. Generally, this means corrections officers are the first to receive a complaint and will attempt to resolve it informally.
If a resolution cannot be achieved at this level, a person in prison can submit a formal complaint through the PC.01 process. Find out more about the PC.01 process.
Number of PC.01 complaints received and closed by financial year
Number of PC.01 Complaints Received and Closed by Financial Year | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019 | 2017-2018 | |
PC.01 – Number of Complaints Received (1) | 19,907 | 11,900 | 13,289 | 12,567 | 11,480 | 10,754 |
% acknowledged within 24 hours of receipt | 99.9% | 99.8% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
% Closed on same day | 27.9% (4) | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 4.6% |
% Open for 1-7 Days | 43.9% | 50.4% | 50.1% | 47.9% | 45.5% | 46.3% |
% Open for 8-14 Days | 12.5% | 18.4% | 18.8% | 19.6% | 20.2% | 18.5% |
% Open for 15-21 Days | 5.9% | 8.6% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 10.0% | 9.9% |
% Open for more than 21 Days | 8.1% | 14.0% | 16.5% | 17.3% | 19.3% | 20.6% |
% Currently Open | 1.8% | 3.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
PC.01 – Number of Complaints Closed (2) | 19,925 | 11,853 | 13,348 | 12,611 | 11,608 | 10,801 |
Note (1) Financial Year based on complaint creation date (2) Financial Year based on complaint closed date. Complaints can cover multiple financial years (e.g., be received in one financial year but be closed in another). (3) 2022-2023 data extracted on 4 July 2023 (4) The increase in PC.01 complaints in 2022/23 appears to be a result of complaints being added to the prisoner kiosks, and the increase in complaints ‘Closed on same day’ appears to be due to staff adjusting to the new processes. |
View number of PC.01 complaints by prison and by category PDF, 100.3 KB
Community Probation complaints received by Category
Complaints about Community Corrections can be made in confidence to a Community Corrections staff member. Where possible, we try to resolve complaints at the lowest appropriate level. Generally, this means probation officers are the first to receive a complaint and will attempt to resolve it informally. If a complaint cannot be resolved at this level, a formal complaint can be made. A formal complaint will be passed to a community district manager. They will investigate a complaint and may involve other staff or more senior management if necessary
Number of Community Probation Complaints received, by category | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022/2023 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | |
Centre / agency classification | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Court Liaison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Food (Community Work) | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Other | 62 | 65 | 64 | 52 | 74 | 78 |
Pre Sentence Report | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Privacy Act / general request for information | 13 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 13 |
Reports / information transfer | 7 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
Sentence order enforcement | 20 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 14 |
Sentence order management | 69 | 54 | 111 | 101 | 70 | 110 |
Sentence Specific | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Staff conduct / attitude | 51 | 41 | 70 | 68 | 69 | 89 |
Transfers | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Worksite conditions | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Total | 227 | 194 | 305 | 270 | 276 | 328 |
Note: (1) Corrections' ability to provide centrally collated statistics on Community Probation complaints is currently limited, but statistics are provided to the best of our ability. (2) Statistics are extracted on 4 July 2023 |
Prison Escort and Court Custodial Services (PECCS) Complaints
First Security is contracted by Corrections to provide Prison Escort and Court Custodial Services. The number of complaints received about the PECCS are outlined below. The statistics are also reported in our Annual Reports.
Number of PECCS complaints received | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | |
Total PECCS complaints received | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Sub category one - Complaints by members of the public about security officer’s driving | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sub category two - Complaint by a prisoner in relation to security officers employed by the contractor. | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
(1) Statistics are as at 12 July 2023
Victim Notification Register (VNR) Complaints
Victim notification gives victims of serious crime, who are registered on the victim notification register, a way to stay informed about the person who offended against them. If a person on the register feels that they have not been provided with information they should have or their safety has been compromised in any way, they have the right to make a complaint. The number of complaints about the VNR are outlined below. The statistics are also reported in our Annual Reports.
Number of VNR complaints received | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022/23 | 2022/21 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | |
Total VNR complaints received | 10 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
VNR Complaint - Number of Complaints Received, by Category | ||||||
Failure to Notify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Late Notification | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
NZPB Administration | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
VNR Complaint - Number of Complaints Received, by Outcome | ||||||
Justified | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
To Be Decided | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unjustified | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Unwanted Prison Mail Complaints
Corrections provides people in prison with writing paper and envelopes, and pays for standard postage for up to three letters per week. If a person in prison wants to send a fast post letter or a parcel, they must pay for this themselves. Prisons send and receive vast quantities of mail every year. All letters (with some exceptions) are checked by staff for contraband. Mail may also be checked by our detector dogs so there can sometimes be a delay in prisoners receiving them.
We take all complaints and enquiries about unwanted prison mail very seriously. You can call 0800 345 006 or email mailcomplaints@corrections.govt.nz if you have an enquiry or complaint about unwanted prison mail. You can also complete the online complaint form, that will be delivered to the same email. Completing the online form will ensure you record all information we need to process your enquiry quickly. The email and 0800 line are staffed weekdays only. Voice messages can be left after hours and staff will respond.
Number of Unwanted Prison Mail Complaints, by Financial Year and Category | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | |
General Mail Complaint | 345 | 301 | 371 | 163 | - | - |
Stamp Complaint | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | - | - |
Wrong Address Complaint | 58 | 133 | 234 | 119 | - | - |
Total | 404 | 434 | 615 | 284 | - | - |
Notes
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Office of the Inspectorate complaints
The Office of the Inspectorate investigates complaints from people in prison and on community-based sentences and orders. Generally, complaints should be resolved at the lowest level. If a person is in prison, this means using the PC.01 system first. If a person is in the community they should speak to a Community Corrections staff member to try to resolve their concern first. If, after that, a person still believes they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably, they can make a complaint to the Inspectorate. In cases of urgency or safety, a complaint can be made directly to the Inspectorate. Statistics on the number of complaints received by the Office of the Inspectorate are available on their website.