NCJ Number
185138
Journal
Corrections Technology and Management Volume: 4 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2000 Pages: 38-40
Date Published
2000
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the shifts in corrections policy under the new Labor-led coalition government in New Zealand, with Matt Robson as Corrections Minister.
Abstract
One of the new government's first change in corrections policy has been to declare an end to the previous government's policy of privatizing prisons, although the government will honor a 5-year contract with Australasian Correctional Management to run a new Auckland Central remand prison due to open in June 2001. Any further plans to involve the private sector in prison management will cease. This decision is based on studies that have shown prisons for profit to contribute to an increase in prison violence, recidivism, and cuts in corrections staff wages. The focus of correctional policy will be on community-based corrections programs, including the establishment of regional correctional facilities strategically placed across New Zealand, operating the best programs available to target reoffending. Corrections policy in general will reflect the principles of restorative justice in its focus on victims' needs and services, the prevention of recidivism, and holding offenders accountable for the impact of their crimes on victims and the community.