Opinion

Facts about prison life in New Zealand

Meals – How much do prisoner meals cost and who does the cooking?
The Department can feed prisoners three meals for an average cost of approximately $4 per day. A standard menu is served across all 20 prisons and the food is prepared by Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) Internal Services. Meals are rotated over a 28 day period, with one hot meal a day served.
The preparation and serving of the meals is also a prisoner employment initiative.  More than 480 prisoners are currently employed in prison kitchens.

Why has the Department used underfloor heating in their prison?
The Department is required to maintain living conditions within prisons to a specified humane standard, consistent with New Zealand legislation and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. When it came to selecting a heating method for these facilities that was cost-efficient and met legal requirements, under-floor heating was chosen. The Building Code requires that a minimum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius is maintained in cells as it applies to all new buildings used for accommodation and working purposes. 

Under-floor heating was also chosen for its low maintenance; the fact that it will still be functioning in 50 to 100 years; and because the electrical reticulation and power outlets are completely enclosed and therefore tamperproof. This is important in a prison environment because it helps maintain the safety and security of the institution and reduces maintenance and repair costs.

What rules exist around prisoner discipline and what methods are used?
Prisoners can be charged internally for any misconduct. Misconduct charges are heard by a Visiting Justice, who also decides on the appropriate punishment.
The following punishments are available to a Visiting Justice:
Forfeiture of privileges:
• the opportunity to be in common areas of the prison after the evening meal
• the opportunity to make telephone calls after the evening meal
• participation in a recreational activity, course, or programme that is not part of the prisoner's management plan
• use of, or access to, films, videotapes, records, cassettes, or compact discs
• use of television, radio, audio cassette player, compact disc player, or other electronic equipment used for recreational purposes
• use of a musical instrument, unless it is part of a prisoner's management plan
• pursuit of a hobby
• purchase of anything other than essential toiletries, tobacco, writing materials, and stamps
• forfeiture of earnings resulting from any work they have done
cell confinement
• forfeiture of any article the prisoner does not have permission to have
withdrawal of earnings to pay for any damage they have caused


What educational/trades related courses are offered to prisoners?  What are attendance rates for these courses?

• The information below relates to trade training and does not address ‘education’ in the sense of providing opportunities such as literacy courses or school education.

Most prisoners involved in employment related activity, run by Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE), have the opportunity to access trade related training facilitated by the Department.

CIE has traditionally offered trade related training to prisoners in two ways; whilst involved in prison-based industries and through specific training courses, in association with an external provider (a Polytech). 
In 2006/07, prisoners achieved 7,566 NZQA Unit Standards (comprising 20,350 NZQA Credits) in a wide range of subjects including; engineering, horticulture, forestry, agriculture, catering, laundry, furniture making/finishing, construction, textile manufacture, distribution and motor mechanics.

Around 150 prisoners completed National Certificates in courses such as forklift operation, agriculture and tower and mobile crane operation in the 2006/07 year.

The following is an example of the number of unit standards and effort involved obtaining a national certificate:  To become a qualified tower crane operator it takes a prisoner about 12 months, 100 hours of tower crane operation, and involves the prisoner passing seven NZQA unit standards, as well as a first aid certificate comprising three unit standards.

There are 265 instructors delivering training and unit standards to prisoners.

In June 2007, CIE commenced a pilot training course in engineering in association with Christchurch Polytech Institute of Technology.  This course resulted in 19 prisoners receiving a partial national certificate in engineering.

In 2006/07, in association with Northland Polytech, 98 prisoners from Northland Regional Corrections Facility (NRCF) participated in construction, horticulture and forestry courses, of which 57 completed the course.  This training is funded through prisoner access to student-component funding (EFTS) which for 2006/07 was capped at 50 EFTS (this equates to 100 part-time prisoners).

In July 2007, Cabinet agreed to an increase in the cap for prisoners accessing Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) funding.  This will rise to 100 EFTS in 2007/08 and 200 by 2010.  The courses that were run in 2006/07 at NRCF have been restarted utilising approximately 50 EFTS.  To utilise the additional 50 EFTS, further courses are currently being planned in association with UCOL and WELTECH for delivery in Wanganui, Manawatu and Rimutaka Prisons.

CIE is currently expanding its training options to teach prisoners who, for a range of reasons, do not have access to the two training methods detailed above.  These prisoners include higher security prisoners, youth, segregated prisoners, and identified drug users. Training for these prisoners will be aligned with the NZQA framework and is being established, in association with relevant Industry Training Organisations (ITO), to meet labour-market shortages.  Differences will include the location and duration of the training, which will be designed to match the constraints of the particular prisoners. 

In August 2007, in a joint partnership between the Ministry of Social Development and CIE, a pilot programme in Civil Construction commenced.  The programme provided qualifications and work experience in the Civil Construction Industry (road construction) followed by entry onto Release to Work and upon release support by MSD through their Straight to Work initiative.  Thirteen prisoners completed the three week classroom based training and graduated from the course.  This course provided the participants with class two licences and “wheels and rollers” licences as well as traffic management, health and safety and other certificates.  Of these thirteen prisoners, five have been placed into work experience and three have now been given full time employment on the Release to Work programme.  The remaining seven are in the process of being placed onto Release to Work.

With regard to Prison Services:
All prisoners under 16 are involved in full time education via the correspondence school. 16-19 years olds can also take up secondary education if they choose
Prisoners can enrol in any subject or education programme they consider themselves capable of achieving.
NZQA unit standards are offered to suitable prisoners. Prisoners are also provided with support to complete distance learning education programmes. Assistance is provided for basic literacy and numeracy skills.

The National Certificate in Employment Skills is available to prisoners. This is a pre-employment qualification which offers learning in a range of work related skills, including basic literacy and numeracy. NCES is recognised by many industry areas throughout New Zealand. The focus is on improving the education level of prisoners to assist them in gaining future employment.

Rehabilitation programmes - drug and alcohol.  What are the uptake and success rates?
Almost 1200 prisoners and offenders in the community undertook programmes delivered by Corrections to address aspects of their offending in the financial year to 30 June 2007.

These included:
• the new Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme (140 hours)
• the Kowhiritanga Programme for women
• one-on-one short rehabilitation programmes
• the Pacific Violence Prevention Programme Saili Matagi
• the FOCUS Programme for young male prisoners
• a new Short Motivational Programme for male prisoners serving short sentences.
• In addition a further 10 prisoners are currently undertaking the first High Intensity Rehabilitation Programme (300 hours); and 10 are undertaking a pilot High Risk Personality Programme, due to graduate in November 2007.
• High risk offenders may also be seen individually by Corrections' psychologists.

Each year a further:
• 1500 or so undertake a Tikanga Maori Programme
• 140 complete a Maori Therapeutic Programme (100-120 hours)
• 80 complete a nine-month programme at one of the two special treatment units for child sex offenders
• 30 complete the nine-month rehabilitative programme for violent offenders at the Violence Prevention Unit at Rimutaka Prison, Wellington.
• Around 80 offenders complete rehabilitation programmes at the Montgomery House, Te Ihi Tu and Salisbury Street Community Residents Centres.

And when all six Drug Treatment Units are in operation in prisons throughout the country, by the end of 2008, around 500 prisoners a year will be treated in them for alcohol and drug addiction.  Currently five units are in operation treating 400 prisoners.

Two evaluations of the unit show that Drug Treatment Units are successful in reducing re-offending. The first evaluation shows that the reconviction rates for those who have been through a DTU are 13 points lower over a 24 month period than those untreated offenders.
The second evaluation found that people aged 30 and above and those whose offending was directly related to substance abuse, were most likely to benefit from the units. Māori and non-Māori participants were equally likely to benefit.

The effectiveness of these interventions
The Department has invested significantly in best practice approaches towards the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders in recent years.
Overseas and New Zealand research indicates, as a general rule, that correctional programmes can on average reduce the rate of imprisonment by about ten percentage points for those that participate.  Thus, an expected rate of re-imprisonment within five years of 65 percent would, were those prisoners exposed to a successful programme experience, reduce to around 55 percent.

Re-offending Rates
Latest re-offending rates in the 2005-06 Annual Report:
• 41.1 % of all offenders released from prison were reconvicted within 12 months of release from prison and 56.4 percent were reconvicted within 2 years.
• 27.7 %of all offenders released from prison were re-imprisoned with 12 months and 39.2 percent were re-imprisoned within 2 years

For offenders beginning community sentences 8.2 percent were imprisoned within 12 months and 12.1 percent were imprisoned in 2 years. 28.7 percent of prisoners were reconvicted within 12 months of beginning a community sentence and 40.4 percent were reconvicted within 2 years.

Re-imprisonment rates within 12 months release from prison for males was significantly higher at 29 percent than females at 18 percent.
Offenders released on home detention had reconviction and re-imprisonment rates substantially lower than the average.  The re-imprisonment rate from those released from prison on "back end" home detention was 12 percent - substantially lower than almost every other sub-group of released prisoners.

Department of Corrections