25 March 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C119674 
 
 
Moka Harris 
[FYI request #12168 email] 
 
 
Tēnā koe Moka 
 
I refer to your email of 5 March 2020, requesting further information about 
temporary release of prisoners. Your request has been considered under the 
Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). 
 
You requested:  
 
Please clarify your online guidelines and also please allow me to gain the 
knowledge of any other grounds or reason for day/weekend releases. I 
wanted to know if inmates are allowed to also apply for these leaves, just 
to spend family time, no reason.  
 
As we advised you in our response dated 5 March 2020, information pertaining 
to the purposes for which eligible prisoners may be temporarily released or 
temporarily removed under section 62 is outlined in Corrections Regulations 
2005, which is publicly available at: 
www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2005/0053/latest/DLM315825.html. 
 
As you have specified you are seeking information on whether prisoners can 
apply for temporary leave from prison for the purpose of spending time with 
family, we draw your attention to the following clauses of section 29 of the 
Corrections Regulations 2005: 
 
(1) A prisoner who is eligible for temporary release, or temporary removal, 
under section 62 may be temporarily released or temporarily removed 
(as the case may be) for any of the following purposes that the chief 
executive considers will facilitate 1 or more of the objectives specified in 
section 62(2)(a) of the Act (subject to the considerations in section 
62(3)): 
(a) to recognise or maintain a family relationship or a friendship (for 
example, attending a funeral or tangi) 
(f) to prepare for the possibility of release by, for example, - 
(i) engaging with a person or agency that will support the prisoner 
on release 
 

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