9. Dr CAM CALDER (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Corrections
What is the Department of Corrections doing to improve the rehabilitation of prisoners and to reduce the rate of reoffending?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Corrections) Link to this
The Department of Corrections’ commitment to cut reoffending rates is being demonstrated by the roll-out of a case management model across all sentenced prisoners. This new approach will involve specialised case managers providing a wraparound service to individual prisoners by working closely with them from the beginning to the end of their sentence. To support this initiative the department has employed 177 case managers and will shortly start recruiting for another 50. This will enable 227 case managers to work directly with prisoners to reduce their risk of reoffending. This is a major investment in the management of prisoners in New Zealand. Along with alcohol and drug treatment, a range of intensive rehabilitation programmes, work training, and education, it should result in a meaningful reduction in reoffending rates.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
The new model’s end-to-end approach means that one person will proactively work with and motivate a prisoner throughout their sentence. This is a big improvement on the earlier approach to sentence management, which was limited to identifying the programmes the prisoner was eligible for and scheduling these into a sentence plan. It meant numerous people could be involved in different aspects of an individual’s rehabilitation. The case managers will work particularly closely with high-risk offenders, because this is where they can have the biggest impact. All sentenced prisoners are now being moved across to their new case managers, who will work with them to develop their rehabilitation plans.