Introduction from the Chief Executive

The Department of Corrections is uniquely placed to make a difference in the lives of offenders. This document sets out our aspirations and the actions we will take to reduce re-offending and improve public safety, whilst ensuring better public value through strong leadership. It sets out our plans to create lasting change.

Ultimately, the greatest positive contribution we can make to the lives of New Zealanders is to reduce the levels of re-offending. We are committed to achieving the Government’s goal, to reduce levels of re-offending by 25 percent by 2017. It’s a demanding vision, but it’s one I believe we can achieve. We will seize every opportunity we have to make a positive difference in offenders’ lives. By providing work, education and life skills, and helping offenders to change their behaviour, we can prepare them for leading offence-free lives once they leave our service.

We will actively contribute to more offenders making the decision to become productive members of their communities. More prisoners will be employable on their release, and we will improve the retention and uptake of employment by our community-based offenders. By partnering with Work and Income, and with the wider community, to increase employment opportunities for our offenders, we will help them to envision and create an offence-free future.

To support offenders to turn their lives around, we will provide a range of drug and alcohol services that meet the needs of all prisoners with drug and alcohol problems. We will work with other agencies to expand the provision of drug and alcohol treatment for community-based offenders.

Over the next three years we will become a more modern, efficient and effective organisation, making better use of technological advancements to free up our staff to spend more time with offenders. This will enable us to focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of offenders, both in prisons and in the community. We will work smarter, focusing our time where it has most effect.

Chief Executive’s statement of responsibility

In signing this statement, I acknowledge that I am responsible for the information contained in the Statement of Intent for the Department of Corrections. This information has been prepared in accordance with the Public Finance Act 1989. It is also consistent with the proposed appropriations set out in the Appropriations (2012/13 Estimates) Bill, as presented to the House of Representatives in accordance with section 13 of the Public Finance Act 1989, and with existing appropriations and financial authorities.