Annual Report 1999/2000

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Chief Executive's Overview

The Department continued to make progress through a focus on four key strands. This overview highlights the year’s progress.

INTEGRATED AND EFFECTIVE OFFENDER MANAGEMENT
An integrated approach to the management of offenders is a key element of departmental activity. The Integrated Offender Management (IOM) project represents a new approach to the effective management of offenders. Three significant advances in IOM were made:

  • the IOM design stage has been substantially completed and the Department is now moving into the implementation phase
  • new offender assessment procedures were trialled and evaluated. Once introduced nationally, the procedures will enhance offenders’ assessment. Resources can then be better targeted to the rehabilitative needs of the highest risk offenders
  • the development of new programmes for inmate rehabilitation, for example the National Certificate in Employment Skills, two new specialist Drug and Alcohol Treatment Units and driving offender treatment programmes. The EQUIP programme is being introduced at two new specialist Youth Units for youth under 17 and vulnerable youth aged 17 to 19 years.

Home detention also came into force in October 1999. It allows eligible offenders to serve their sentences outside prison under electronic surveillance, with individual supervision by Probation Officers. The first year of operation went well and the target of having 300 new starts joining the programme was reached by June 2000.

REDUCING RE-OFFENDING BY MĀORI
This is a crucial area of focus for the Department, and one in which further gains have been made in the 1999/2000 year.

New programmes for Māori offenders have been developed and a third Māori Focus Unit was opened. Tikanga Māori programmes have also been expanded in a number of localities.

Staff cultural understanding and responsiveness is essential to support these initiatives. The Framework to Reduce Māori Offending (FReMO) and draft Treaty of Waitangi policy statement have been developed to this end.

RESPONDING TO INCREASED DEMAND
The Department needs to ensure it is able to meet forecast increase in demand for services.

The Department completed building Auckland Central Remand Prison (ACRP), the first new prison to be built in New Zealand since 1989. Commissioning of the new prison will occur in 2000/01.

The new Paparua Remand Unit was operating at full capacity by mid-November 1999.

The Department also provided assistance to the East Timorese prison system. A team of Corrections officers trained local staff, refurbished two prisons and increased capacity in the prisons. The work by the Department has been positively received by both the United Nations and the East Timorese.

ENHANCED ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITY
The Department continued to focus on improving its organisational capability. This included:

  • introducing a Future Leaders Programme to assist the development of new departmental managers. The first programme focused upon Māori staff. The Public Prisons Service commenced implementation of a new career structure for Corrections officers and undertook a very successful skills audit that will drive training needs in subsequent years
  • passing all key Year 2000 dates without incident or disruption to systems. All Information Technology systems were made Year 2000 compliant and other critical systems were also checked and upgraded if there was any risk. Business continuity plans were developed, to enable all key functions within the Department to operate in isolation if any problems were to arise. The plans were developed, tested and successfully implemented across the Department.

CONCLUSION
Improvements in operational performance have also been made and I would draw attention to the reduction over recent years to the rates of escape. The Department has laid a strong foundation in the last five years and has now produced a suite of strategic Business Plans to take us forward over the next three years.

I am proud of the efforts of the Department’s people over the period. It has been a demanding time and much has been accomplished – although there is more to do. They have my and the Senior Management Team’s congratulations and thanks.

Mark Byers
Chief Executive