Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/20496-variance-of-sentences-where-housing-unavailable-to-parolees-others-released on December 22, 2024 14:38

Variance of sentences where housing unavailable to parolees- others released

Mohammed Khan made this Official Information request to Department of Corrections

The request was refused by Department of Corrections.

From: Mohammed Khan

Dear Department of Corrections,

According to this article in the Rotorua Daily Post, if a prisoner would be released but cannot establish their own arrangements as to where they reside, and if they reject being sent to emergency housing, say, in Rotorua, Corrections could apply to vary their sentence.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily...

1) I assume that means that you would hold them in prison for a longer period if they refused to be sent to somewhere where emergency housing is systematically available, for example, in Rotorua?
2) If the assumption in (1) is correct, how many persons who would otherwise be released made that decision each year for the past five years?
3) If the assumption in (1) is correct, how much longer are such persons held? A defined period? Until the end of their sentence? Until it is possible for them to either make other arrangements or access emergency housing in their actual community?

Regards,
Mohammed Khan

Link to this

From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

Hello,

 

Thank you for contacting the Department of Corrections; this is an
automatic reply to confirm we have received your email – please do not
reply to this e mail.

 

We operate 8:00am - 4:00pm, Monday to Friday.

 

At the current COVID-19 Protection Framework settings we are focused on
ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the people we are managing, our
staff, and the community – as a result, there may be a delay in responding
to your email.

 

If you are requesting information we are required to comply with the
Privacy Act 2020, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Victims Rights
Act 2002.

 

Depending on the nature of your request you may not receive an official
response for up to 20 working days.

 

Be assured we will endeavour to respond to you as quickly as possible.

 

If you are a friend or family member of someone in prison, you can find
some useful information [1]here.

 

In most cases we are required to ask the person in prison for their
permission to release their information to you.  If you do not want the
person to know you are asking about them, please let us know as soon as
possible.

 

All media queries should be sent to [2][email address].

 

If you are a victim, you will find information about the Victim
Notification Register on our website [3]here.

 

Our website, [4]http://www.corrections.govt.nz/ provides up to date news
and information about our work, you can also follow us on [5]Facebook and
[6]Twitter.

 

Kind regards,

The Ministerial Services Team

[7][Department of Corrections request email]

 

 

 

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Link to this

From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

Attachment C157575 response.pdf
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Kia ora Mohammed,

Please find attached a response from Corrections

Ngā mihi | Kind regards,

Ministerial Services
Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa
a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44-52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011

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Link to this

From: Mohammed Khan

Dear Info@Corrections,

My inquiry was prompted by statements made to a reporter by "Department of Corrections acting probation general manager Caroline Palmer". She stated that if a prisoner did not find long term accommodation themselves, or accept what was provided (usually in Rotorua, as we've seen), "Corrections could apply to court to vary a sentence".

To MAKE MYSELF ENTIRELY CLEAR, when you say that "Corrections does not decide who is in prison", you are asserting that Corrections will not apply to a court to vary a sentence, and that Palmer was lying?

If you are, in an attempt to avoid admitting to some very simple facts, duplicitously suggesting that making an application to vary a sentence- an application which will STOP A PRISONER FROM BEING RELEASED, is not covered by my original request, I am instead asking the following, so you cannot pretend that it isn't covered:

"According to this article in the Rotorua Daily Post, if a prisoner would be released but cannot establish their own arrangements as to where they reside, and if they reject being sent to emergency housing, say, in Rotorua, Corrections could apply to vary their sentence.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily...

1) I assume that means that you would MAKE APPLICATIONS TO hold them in prison for a longer period if they refused to be sent to somewhere where emergency housing is systematically available, for example, in Rotorua?
2) If the assumption in (1) is correct, how many persons who would otherwise be released refused to be dumped in emergency housing each year for the past five years?
3) If the assumption in (1) is correct, how much longer are such persons held? A defined period? Until the end of their sentence? Until it is possible for them to either make other arrangements or access emergency housing in their actual community?"

Yours sincerely,
Mohammed Khan

Link to this

From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

Hello,

 

Thank you for contacting the Department of Corrections; this is an
automatic reply to confirm we have received your email – please do not
reply to this e mail.

 

We operate 8:00am - 4:00pm, Monday to Friday.

 

If you are requesting information we are required to comply with the
Privacy Act 2020, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Victims Rights
Act 2002.

 

Depending on the nature of your request you may not receive an official
response for up to 20 working days.

 

Be assured we will endeavour to respond to you as quickly as possible.

 

If you are a friend or family member of someone in prison, you can find
some useful information [1]here.

 

In most cases we are required to ask the person in prison for their
permission to release their information to you.  If you do not want the
person to know you are asking about them, please let us know as soon as
possible.

 

All media queries should be sent to [2][email address].

 

If you are a victim, you will find information about the Victim
Notification Register on our website [3]here.

 

Our website, [4]http://www.corrections.govt.nz/ provides up to date news
and information about our work, you can also follow us on [5]Facebook and
[6]Twitter.

 

Kind regards,

The Ministerial Services Team

[7][Department of Corrections request email]

 

 

 

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From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

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Kia ora,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We are in receipt of your email.

 

If you are requesting information we are required to comply with the
Privacy Act 2020, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Victims Rights
Act 2002.

 

Depending on the nature of your request you may not receive an official
response for up to 20 working days.

 

We will respond to you in due course.

 

Ngā mihi | Kind regards,

Ministerial Services

Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa

a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44-52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011

[1][IMG] [2][IMG] [3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG]

 

 

 

 

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From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

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Attachment C159362 Extension Letter.pdf
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Kia ora Mohammed,

 

Please find attached correspondence from Corrections.

 

Thanks,

Ministerial Services

Ara Poutama Aotearoa, Department of Corrections

a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44 -52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011

[1][IMG] [2][IMG] [3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG]

 

 

 

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From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

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Attachment C159362 Letter.pdf
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Attachment Appendix One.pdf
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Kia ora,

 

Please find attached correspondence from Corrections.

 

Thanks,

Ministerial Services

Ara Poutama Aotearoa, Department of Corrections

a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44 -52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011

[1][IMG] [2][IMG] [3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG]

 

 

 

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From: Mohammed Khan

Thanks Caroline,

I'm interested in the statement that "As at 21 July 2022, there were 45 people in emergency accommodation in Rotorua who were in the management of Corrections. These people had been placed in emergency accommodation through our nationwide agreement with MSD. "

I had been led to think by other statements from Corrections- such as this one:
https://fyi.org.nz/request/20495/respons...
that Corrections only retained data on whether prisoners were initially funneled to emergency accommodation. Interestingly, that letter indicates that throughout the entire Bay of Plenty, not just Rotorua, only 15 people were initially released into emergency accommodation.

Your own letter indicates that "The vast majority of people return home to family or make their own arrangements about where to live."

Does this suggest that Corrections maintains full data on this, and that you can in fact provide full information on situations like those where parolees are released elsewhere, but then funneled to motels in Rotorua?

Regards,
Mohammed Khan

Link to this

From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

Hello,

 

Thank you for contacting the Department of Corrections; this is an
automatic reply to confirm we have received your email – please do not
reply to this e mail.

 

We operate 8:00am - 4:00pm, Monday to Friday.

 

If you are requesting information we are required to comply with the
Privacy Act 2020, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Victims Rights
Act 2002.

 

Depending on the nature of your request you may not receive an official
response for up to 20 working days.

 

Be assured we will endeavour to respond to you as quickly as possible.

 

If you are a friend or family member of someone in prison, you can find
some useful information [1]here.

 

In most cases we are required to ask the person in prison for their
permission to release their information to you.  If you do not want the
person to know you are asking about them, please let us know as soon as
possible.

 

All media queries should be sent to [2][email address].

 

If you are a victim, you will find information about the Victim
Notification Register on our website [3]here.

 

Our website, [4]http://www.corrections.govt.nz/ provides up to date news
and information about our work, you can also follow us on [5]Facebook and
[6]Twitter.

 

Kind regards,

The Ministerial Services Team

[7][Department of Corrections request email]

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Info@Corrections
Department of Corrections

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Attachment C161714 Response.pdf
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Kia ora,

 

Please find attached correspondence from Corrections.

 

Ngā mihi | Kind regards,

 

Ministerial Services

Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa

a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44-52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011

[1][IMG] [2][IMG] [3][IMG] [4][IMG]
[5][IMG]

 

 

 

 

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Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Department of Corrections only: