An insight into the
Department of Corrections
Kim Smith
Principal Advisor Employment Development
Ph 027 667 8703
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WHAT WE DO
The Department of Corrections protects the
public of New Zealand from those who can harm
them, by:
– making sure prisoners, parolees and other
offenders in the community comply with the
sentences and orders imposed by the Courts
and NZ Parole Board;
– providing offenders with rehabilitation
programmes, education and job training that
will turn their lives around and break the cycle
of re-offending.
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10 FACTS ABOUT CORRECTIONS
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When were the first jails opened in New Zealand?
1838
When was Community Corrections introduced?
1886
When was the Department of Corrections established?
1995 (20 years ago)
How many people do Corrections manage in the community
Approx. 30,000 ( in BOP there are 3100 as at February
2016)
How many people are in New Zealand prisons?
9279 as at February 2016
7,500 staff to run both community and prison
2,000 volunteers
151 Community Corrections sites
18 prisons (2 of these managed by Serco)
$1.2 billion operating budget
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FACTS ABOUT OFFENDERS
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The majority of offenders:
– are in the community (82%)
– are male (80% of community offenders, 94%
of prisoners)
– are under 35 (63% of community offenders,
54% of prisoners)
– have a drug or alcohol problem (66%)
– are unemployed (60%)
70% of prisoners have difficulty reading/writing
23,000 children in New Zealand have a parent in
prison and are 7 x more likely to end up in prison
Community Work - 2.5 million hours’ labour each
year
Re-imprisonment rate – 26.7%*
Reconviction rate – 26.8%*
* within 12 months of release or sentence
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SENTENCING
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Pre – Sentence Report
Discharged without conviction
Fines
Community Work
Supervision
Intensive Supervision
Home Detention and Post Detention conditions
Release on Conditions
Parole
Imprisonment
Extended Supervision Orders
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SENTENCE OBLIGATIONS
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Special conditions - Legally binding
Treatment and rehabilitation
Where they can live and hours of residence
Employment restrictions
Non contact with Victims
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PRINCIPAL ADVISORS
EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT
• Provide strategic overview of Education, Training and
• Develop Employment, Education and Training
opportunities for the prisons and community
• Provide support and education for Probation Officers
and other Prison based frontline staff on ETE
• Develop Employer Partnerships
• Training and industry partnerships
• Labour market advice
• Recruitment service for our partners
• Developing new business ideas for the region
WHAT WE WILL DO TO
BREAK THE CYCLE OF CRIME
Supported accommodation
Real jobs on release
Out of Gate
and
Employment
Drug and alcohol treatment
Work and Living
Skills
Family violence programmes
Working Prisons
Modern facilities
Modern technology
On-body cameras
Electronic monitoring
Partnering with iwi,
community groups
and employers
Online learning
Education - literacy
and numeracy, NCEA
accreditation
Tackling gang activity
Skills and employment training
Joining Forces
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with
Police
WHAT WE KNOW
People with education and training, who are in
work, are less likely to offend.
Re-offending is reduced when people:
– address the issues behind their offending, eg
drug and alcohol treatment, domestic
violence programs, sexual offending
programs
– learn better life skills and trade experience
that employers value.
– engage with whānau to change behaviour
and reintegrate into the community
– Pathway begins at pre sentence
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EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING
• Education, Training and Employment strategy to reduce reoffending
• 17 of our Prisons are working prisons – 40 hours of work, education
or treatment/rehab
• Targets of 1000 released prisoners placed in employment by 2019
• We aim to work collaboratively with other agencies putting the client
in the centre and getting outcomes that enable the community to live
safely with an efficient use of the tax payers dollar.
• Goal to have 200 Employer Partnerships by 2019
• Our Partners include MSD, Dept of Conservation, Housing NZ,
Polytech’s and Community organisations
WHATS IN IT FOR EMPLOYERS?
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Free recruitment service
One point of contact
In work Support for six months
Support from Probation Officers for length of sentence
Job Seeker who is prepared for work and wanting a second chance
Job seeker who has qualifications and skills in the areas they need
Job seekers excluded with criminal convictions that they don’t want in
their business.
Liaison service with MSD for subsidies
Opportunity to give back to the Community and reduce potential
victims
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