Physical Assets and Capital Intentions
The Department of Corrections manages over $1.7 billion worth of physical assets across New Zealand. In recent years the Department has managed its assets to accommodate a substantial increase in the offender population.
The Department has a Capacity Planning Optimisation Model to determine the optimum prison building and decommissioning programme – when and where new prison beds are potentially required. The programme is then used to quantify the operating requirements – for example the number of custodial staff required and funding implications.
The Department will decommission and upgrade some of its prison facilities to ensure that it can safely and humanely contain prisoners and deliver effective rehabilitation programmes and reintegration services. The largest project of this nature is the redevelopment of Mt Eden Prison which will deliver two new accommodation buildings providing 450 permanent beds to replace current capacity of 420 beds (fully operational by 2011); support facilities and infrastructure for future development (allows for additional capacity of 570 permanent beds from 2014); and the preservation and conversion of the Mt Eden prison heritage building.
The Department is also working through a capital programme developed for the Community Probation and Psychological Service to provide appropriate facilities to manage community-based offenders.
In 2008/09, the following initiatives will develop the Department’s capital asset base:
- commencement of the redevelopment of Mt Eden Prison
- completion of new infrastructure required as a result of building additional beds on existing sites over recent years
- progressing with additional support facilities as part of the EffectiveInterventions programme.
The table on the following page outlines the Corrections’ capital expenditure programme. This capital programme is aimed at helping to achieve the Department's operating intentions by ensuring the Department has the required capacity to meet demand and that the Department's physical assets are maintained to a standard that ensures offenders are managed securely, safely and humanely.
Capital Expenditure Trends and Forecasts
| 2010/11 Forecast $000 | 2009/10 Forecast $000 | 2008/09 Forecast $000 | 2007/08 Forecast $000 | 2006/07 Actual $000 | 2005/06 Actual $000 | |
| Land and buildings | ||||||
| New regional prisons | – | – | 9,039 | 35,951 | 235,453 | 310,650 |
| Prison expansion – additional beds & infrastructure | – | – | 48,272 | 20,299 | 44,149 | 70,880 |
| Mt Eden Prison redevelopment | 53,000 | 103,000 | 40,130 | 4,367 | 2,496 | 980 |
| Effective Interventions | – | 31,525 | 20,237 | 11,220 | 1,330 | – |
| Security projects, including fences | 5,000 | 10,000 | 5,000 | 7,000 | – | – |
| Health and safety | 7,500 | 15,000 | 23,006 | 5,828 | 1,088 | 8,880 |
| Deferred maintenance | – | – | 2,739 | 11,331 | 21,315 | 17,100 |
| Community Probation and Psychological Services accommodation | 19,598 | 7,700 | – | 952 | 4,162 | 2,320 |
| Sub-total | 85,098 | 167,225 | 148,423 | 96,948 | 309,993 | 410,810 |
| Prisoner employment projects | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 6,320 | 4,679 | 2,600 |
| Plant and machinery, equipment, motor vehicles, and furniture and fittings | 8,850 | 8,850 | 9,017 | 15,515 | 6,242 | 5,390 |
| Information technology | 11,500 | 11,500 | 12,150 | 13,163 | 17,306 | 14,040 |
| Total | 110,448 | 192,575 | 174,590 | 131,946 | 338,220 | 432,840 |