Department of Corrections (New Zealand)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Zealand Department of Corrections |
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 Logo of the New Zealand Department of Corrections |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 1, 1995 |
| Jurisdiction | New Zealand |
| Employees | 6,611 (2007) |
| Annual Budget | NZD$742 million (2007) and assets worth over NZD $1.88 billion |
| Agency Executives | Hon. Phil Goff, Minister of Corrections Hon. Mita Ririnui, Associate Minister (with special responsibilities) |
| Website | |
| http://www.corrections.govt.nz/ | |
The Department of Corrections (New Zealand) (in Māori, Ara Poutama Aotearoa) is a state sector organisation of New Zealand. Its core responsibility is the management of the New Zealand corrections system.
New Zealand's Minister of Corrections is the Hon. Phil Goff.
Contents |
[edit] History
The department was established on 1 October 1995, following government decisions on the recommendations of the Review of the New Zealand Department of Justice in 1994. Corrections was led for its first ten years by Chief Executive, Mark G Byers. Byers retired from the public service in 2005 and was replaced by Barry Matthews. Matthews is a former Deputy Commissioner of Police in New Zealand and was for a time the Commissioner of the Western Australian Police Force. The Department is part of the national public service of New Zealand. In early 2006, the Department officially adopted the Māori name Ara Poutama Aotearoa.
[edit] Responsibilities
The Department of Corrections is tasked with ensuring that custodial sentences (imprisonment) and non-custodial sentences and orders (home detention, supervision, community work, release on conditions, and parole) imposed by New Zealand's Courts and the New Zealand Parole Board are administered in a safe, secure, humane and effective way. The Department aims to contribute to the maintenance of a safe and just society by reducing the level of re-offending through the delivery of targeted and appropriate programmes to help offender’s rehabilitation and reintegration to society.
During the 2006/2007 financial year the Department:
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- managed 67,684 new sentences and orders a year: 22,268 prison-based, and 45,416 community-based
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- operated 20 prisons (with a total capacity of around 8,459 beds) and around 150 other sites nationwide
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- employed 6,6115 full-time equivalent staff, including 3,194 corrections officers, 709 probation officers, 238 community work supervisors, 86 psychologists, 271 instructors and 159 nurses [1]
[edit] Structure
The Department is headed by the Chief Executive, Barry Matthews, and comprises a number of groups and services:
[edit] Prison Services
The prison service is responsible for managing the sentence needs of each offender including rehabilitation and preparation for reintegration into the community upon release from prison.
[edit] Community Probation & Psychological Services
Community Probation & Psychological Services manage approximately 70,000 community-based sentences and orders per year, and provide information and reports to judges and the New Zealand Parole Board to help in making sentencing and release decisions. Staff also deliver interventions to offenders and prisoners to address their offending behaviour and prepare them for rejoining society.
[edit] Policy, Strategy & Research Group
Policy, Strategy & Research maintains a "whole of justice sector" perspective in order to develop conceptual frameworks and high-level strategies that define, inform, and guide the development of the Department’s operational policies and practices.
[edit] Systems & Infrastructure Group
The Systems & Infrastructure Group provides a range of strategies and services that support the delivery of Corrections’ core business, and ensure the Department’s ability to maintain consistent service delivery regardless of external events and crises. Systems & Infrastructure is made up of information & technology, assets & property and New Zealand Parole Board administrative support services.
[edit] Business Information & Planning Group
The Business Information & Planning Group's role is the provision of business information, planning advice and financial services to senior managers across the Department, and the development and maintenance of policies and procedures for prudent use of financial resources.
The Business Information & Planning Group is also responsible for co-ordinating the Department’s central Procurement, Reporting, Monitoring, Select Committee, Statement of Intent and Annual Reports processes.
[edit] Rehabilitation & Reintegration Group
The Rehabilitation & Reintegration group is responsible for the delivery of best practice rehabilitative and reintegrative services and to ensure a seamless approach to the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community.
Rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders is the primary responsibility of Prison Services and Community Probation & Psychological Services. The Rehabilitation & Reintegration group supports in achieving this by identifying and facilitating the integration and delivery of services and programmes that will successfully rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders.
The Rehabilitation & Reintegration group also incorporates the Corrections Inmate Employment service, which delivers employment and training opportunities directly to prisoners, and has responsibility for Corrections’ Treaty relationships and an overview of services to Pacific communities.
[edit] Organisational Development Group
The Organisational Development Group provides both strategic advice and day-to-day support and services to the Chief Executive and Corrections Managers on structural and culture change, human resource management and development, employee health and safety, internal communications, and employee relations and employment law.
[edit] The Office of the Chief Executive
The Office of the Chief Executive manages key functions on behalf of the Chief Executive and incorporates Communications, Internal Audit, Inspectorate, Secretariat, Professional Standards Unit and the Legal Services Team.
