14 October 2022
C158224
John Walter
[FYI request #20597 email]
Tēnā koe John
Thank you for your request of 18 September 2022 to the Department of Corrections – Ara
Poutama Aotearoa, requesting information about remand prisoners. Your request has been
considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
We provide rehabilitation and reintegration services to help people address the causes of
their offending. By helping people break the cycle of re-offending we also improve the
safety of our communities.
We actively engage with people in prison by referring them to services that address their
specific needs. Our interventions range in intensity and length to meet a variety of needs
and include education, employment and rehabilitation initiatives.
You requested:
In your OIA response on 13/09/2022 you stated:
"Each person on remand is allocated a Case Manager once they have been on
remand for more than ten working days. Their Case Manager works directly with
them to assess and identify specific areas to learn new skills and ensure their time in
prison is used to their benefit. These plans could include learning skills such as
parenting, managing money and basic living skills, as well as planning for a safe
release to community. Remand prisoners also receive help with addiction, education
and finding employment."
See
https://fyi.org.nz/request/20296/response/77341/attach/13/C156607%20I%20Brow
n%20response.PDF.pdf
1. Please indicate where the 10-working day figure came from for allocating a case
manager and whether that is an automatic process?
Corrections’ Standards of Practice state that a Principal Case Manager must take no more
than ten working days to allocate a person’s case to a Case Manager. The Case Manager
NATIONAL OFFICE, WELLINGTON
Mayfair House, 44 – 52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140,
Phone +64 4 460 3000
www.corrections.govt.nz
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must then contact a newly assigned person within 10 days. The purpose of this timeframe is
to provide a minimum expectation for our practitioners, however, allocations will often be
made sooner than this based on a range of factors such as a person’s age and their
perceived risk.
2. I assume that the second line is referring to generating a management plan, in
which case, are there protocols in place to follow up on such plans? For example,
if a prisoner identified education as something which would be a beneficial use of
their time in prison and help with their rehabilitation (in the management plan),
would the plan be passed onto the education department to follow up with
appropriate resources?
Case Managers work directly with people to undertake an initial reintegration screening,
and assess and identify specific areas of need and ensure their time in prison is used to their
benefit. When a Case Manager refers a person to a programme, activity, or service provider,
that site’s scheduler adds them to the next available programme. If all current programmes
are full, the person is placed on a service list. The service list helps to inform Corrections of
existing needs, and where additional resources could be best allocated.
3. Please provide substantive information and examples of the addiction help,
education and employment assistance received by remand prisoners.
There are challenges in delivering interventions to people on remand, including the
unknown length of time that the individual will spend in prison. Some people only stay on
remand for a few days or weeks, while others stay on remand for lengthier periods of time.
Many remandees are also not yet convicted of an offence and will, therefore, be ineligible
for certain interventions, such as offence focused rehabilitation.
Many interventions for people on remand are delivered locally and vary site by site to help
them with their overall health and wellbeing, including addiction. Corrections does not
centrally record an exhaustive list of all interventions or supports available to people on
remand as some of these are provided through local community organisations and other
volunteers. Examples of interventions for people on remand are outlined below:
Remand Reintegration Programme – This is a prison-based rolling reintegration programme
designed and delivered by local Out of Gate providers. The programme provides practical
skills to address participants reintegration needs. The programme is available for all people
on remand at participating remand prison sites. The Remand Reintegration Programme is
available for people who are remand convicted and remand accused.
Tēnei Au, Tēnei Au – This is a Kaupapa Māori evidence-based model of healing and
treatment for people on remand, both convicted, and accused, this programme is made up
of three components: tikanga, wānanga, and ngākau ora. The programme works to heal the
ngākau and support people to achieve oranga. This has been available since November 2021
in the Te Ara Tika unit at Hawkes Bay Regional Prison, with the Ngākau Ora component of
the programme available in Northern Regional Correctional Facility since July 2022.
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Kia Rite – this is a culturally responsive information and skills training programme designed
for women who are new to prison, either on remand, both convicted and accused, or newly
sentenced. The programme is designed and delivered by internal Kia Rite facilitators to help
women learn the skills and coping strategies they need during their time in prison. These are
skills they can also use when they are in the community. The programme consists of 11
sessions and can be delivered in a closed or open/rolling format.
Te Pikinga – This is a three-week skills-based programme delivered by external providers
and available to men on remand at Mount Eden Corrections Facility, Waikeria Prison, and
Christchurch Men’s Prison. Given the nature of remand, it has been designed as a rolling
programme supporting participants to complete the modules in any order and repeating
modules if necessary. Te Pikinga is available to remand convicted and accused.
Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Support – This programme provides English literacy and
numeracy support to learners assessed at Step 1, 2 or 3 on the Tertiary Education
Commission Literacy and Numeracy Progressions. The programme is delivered by Te
Wananga O Aotearoa
and supports learners who speak English as a second language. The
programme length varies according to the individual’s need – learners may attend up to 100
hours, or until they have reached Step 3 or 4 on the progressions. Delivery schedules vary at
each site. The programme runs with small groups of learners, so depending on the number
of learners who need support on a particular site, more than one programme may be
running at a time.
Alcohol and Other Drugs Programmes – These provide people with the knowledge,
attitudes and skills to address their substance use. Intensive Treatment Programmes (8
weeks), Tamaua te Koronga (8 weeks) and Te Ira Wahine (8 weeks) are all available to
people who are remand-convicted (people who have been convicted and remanded in
custody, but not yet sentenced) on a case-by-case basis. Currently, these programmes are
not available to people who are remand-accused (people who are remanded in custody but
have not yet been convicted).
Mental Health –
People in prison who are on remand generally have access to the same
range of mental health services as people who are sentenced. The Improving Mental Health
Service (IMHS) supports people in prison (both remanded and sentenced) who are
experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues. IMHS clinicians are currently based at
all prisons nationwide (with the exception of Auckland South Corrections Facility).
Intervention and Support Practice Teams (ISPT) are multi-disciplinary teams who provide
mental health treatment to people in prison (both remanded and sentenced) who are
experiencing moderate to severe mental health problems. ISP Teams currently operate at
seven prison sites. Clinical nurse specialist (mental health) positions have been created at
nine prison sites nationally (that do not have ISPT) and provide additional treatment to
individuals (both remand and sentenced) requiring mental health interventions. Trauma
counsellors and social workers are also employed at the three women’s prison sites
nationally.
The Regional Forensic Psychiatric Service is funded by the Ministry of Health and responsible
for the psychiatric assessment and treatment of people in prison who are suspected of
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suffering from severe mental illness. These services are available at all prison sites nationally
and are available to individuals who are both remanded and sentenced.
Please note that this response may be published on Corrections’ website. Typically,
responses are published quarterly, or as otherwise determined. Your personal information
including name and contact details will be removed for publication.
I trust the information provided is of assistance. I encourage you to raise any concerns
about this response with Corrections. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to also
raise any concerns with the Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the
Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Ngā mihi
Ben Clark
National Commissioner
