Briefing to the Incoming Minister December 2015

Message from the Chief Executive

Corrections has faced some significant challenges over the past year but I remain proud to lead an organisation that has lost none of its passion and commitment to managing some of New Zealand’s most difficult individuals.

The foundation of an effective Corrections system is our ability to protect the public. Over the past year a series of significant new public safety measures have been introduced, including a new civil detention regime for offenders who cannot safely live in the community and parole-like conditions for offenders who are being deported to New Zealand in unprecedented numbers. As a result, we have never been in a stronger position to tailor our management of offenders to the risk they pose.

We have nevertheless had to contend with some serious and concerning incidents recently, including a high profile prisoner illegally departing New Zealand and the murder of an innocent Auckland woman by an offender who had recently been released from prison.

There can be only one response to such incidents: for us to proactively identify any lessons that can be learned and to do whatever we can to prevent them from happening again. This approach has driven the improvements we have made to our temporary release processes, closer collaboration with border agencies to stop offenders evading their sentence conditions, and the introduction of Corrections-Police joint intelligence teams to share information on child sex offenders and criminal gangs.

These system improvements have been underpinned by a significant prison modernisation programme, major investments in staff training and equipment, greater accountabilities at the regional and local level and the expanded use of new technologies, such as GPS monitoring and alcohol and drug testing. The early success of the major new public private partnership at Auckland South has also helped to strengthen our core capacity and boost innovation.

Looking to the future, I am determined to maintain our focus on the biggest challenge facing all Corrections systems – reducing re-offending. Over the past five years, we have made major strides in transforming our prison and community sites so that they can provide more and better rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and services, through such initiatives as Out of Gate and partnerships with major employers.

I am confident that Corrections will continue to build on the progress we have made in recent years, with the support of the thousands of dedicated front-line staff who come to work each day with the goal of making New Zealand a safer place.

Ray Smith

Contents

The Briefing to the Incoming Minister - December 2015 includes the sections listed in the contents below.

Message from the Chief Executive

Executive Summary

1. Management of Contract with SecureFuture

2. Finance and Our Capacity to Deliver

3. Managing our Muster and Reducing Re-offending

4. Policy and Legislation

5. Management over Christmas/New Year

Appendix A: Corrections Structure

Appendix B: Corrections Service Network

Appendix C: Annex of Papers

Download

 View the full PDF version of the briefing here: Briefing to the Incoming Minister - December 2015 (pdf. 2.2 MB)