[Type here]
08 July 2025
C199111
C Lane
[FYI request #30883 email]
Tēnā koe
Thank you for your email of 16 June 2025 to the Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama
Aotearoa, requesting further information about Guiding Release. Your request has been
considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
As we advised you in our previous response on 13 June 2025 (our ref. C196890), public
safety is our top priority during any Guiding Release activity. Every person is strictly vetted
prior to undertaking Guiding Release and can be equipped with an electronic monitoring
anklet when leaving the prison to attend an activity.
For ease of response, some of your questions have been answered together. You requested:
Can life sentenced prisoners whom have not reached parole, achieve guiding release
in support of maintaining family relationships in the following examples:
1. Day releases to the family/home residence to where the prisoner will be
applying to parole when parole is reached? How long before parole can one
be eligible to apply? To me this is what would make sense, to prepare for first
parole if granted.
As advised in our letter to you dated 13 June 2025 (our ref. C196890), Guiding Release uses
Corrections’ Temporary Removals and Temporary Release procedures to release prisoners
for a specified timeframe under supervision for a reintegrative need.
All prisoners, including those who are sentenced to life imprisonment but yet to reach their
parole eligibility date, can apply for Guiding Release. Applications are made through the
temporary removal framework which is considered at an Advisory Panel on a case-by-case
basis, and requires an appropriate staff member to be the sponsor.
This is outlined in the Prison Operations Manual, which is available on our website via the
following links:
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-
Manual/Movement/M.04-External-movement-transportation-of-prisoners/M.04.05-
Temporary-removals
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
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-
Manual/Movement/M.04-External-movement-transportation-of-prisoners/M.04.06-
Temporary-release
2. Overnight stays to the family/home residence to the family/home residence
to where the prisoner will be applying to parole when parole is reached? How
long before parole can one be eligible to apply?
3. Weekend stays to the family/home residence to the family/home residence to
where the prisoner will be applying to parole when parole is reached? How
long before parole can one be eligible to apply?
An application for an overnight or weekend stay through Guiding Release is considered
through the temporary release framework. Temporary releases are used to support and
enable a prisoner’s reintegration into the community when they are released.
Prisoners who are eligible to be temporarily released include :
• minimum security prisoners who are serving a sentence of more than 24 months and
have reached their parole eligibility date; or were sentenced to imprisonment prior to 1
July 2002 for a serious violent offence and are within 12 months of their sentence end
date, or
• low and low-medium security prisoners who have a release date set by the New
Zealand Parole Board.
As temporary release requires prisoners to have reached their parole eligibility date,
prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who have not reached parole are not eligible to
apply for overnight or weekend stays.
4. Also in what cases can an inmates family members (that have been vetted)
support the guiding release in the above scenarios and others? This meaning,
by way of assort and being the travel provider not Corrections Staff or hired
escort services, with no Corrections Staff presence on travel.
Guiding Release through the temporary release framework can use sponsors who are not
Corrections staff. Generally, prisoners will first have undertaken a number of releases with a
staff member to visit the family. Following successful releases with staff, the family, prisoner
and Guiding Release Case Manager will work alongside the allocated Case Manager to move
towards sponsored outings with approved family or external sponsors.
As approved external sponsors are only provided for under the temporary release
framework; prisoners who are sentenced to life imprisonment and have not reached parole
are not eligible to apply for one.
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 hope this information is helpful. I encourage you to raise any concerns about this response
with Corrections. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to raise any concerns with the
Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152,
Wellington 6143.
Ngā mihi
Richard Waggott
Deputy Chief Executive
Organisational Resilience and Safety
