Elections 2017 - Party Policies - Justice, Law and Order - Corrections
27th May 17, 9:23am
by
Corrections
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- Allow prisoners to earn a reduction in their overall sentence by successfully completing literacy, numeracy, jobreadiness and driver licensing courses.
- Eligible participating inmates would be able to earn up to a maximum of six weeks for every year of their term, depending on the types of courses completed.
- Attainment will be assessed against National Standards, the same as in schools.
- The purpose is to ensure more prisoners leave prison able to do things like read and respond to job ads, complete a household budget, and drive legally to work.
- Prisoners who enter prison with a higher level of educational attainment would also be eligible for incentives if they act as mentors to other prisoners.
- Read more here.
- Take active steps to enhance the ability of inmates to sustain or re-establish family, whānau and community links, e.g. through prison visit processes and facilities.
- Increase access to education programmes within prisons so that people have the skills to participate in and contribute meaningfully to society once released from prison.
- Increase access within prisons to effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and mental health programmes.
- Undertake a major review of women's prisons to ensure threr are adequate facilities, taking into account overseas best practice for the design and management of prisons for women
- Oppose the privatisation of prisons
- Read more here.
- Invest in evidence-based interventions that reduce re-offending, including rolling out the alcohol and drug courts nationwide, and investing in alcohol and drug treatment, mental health services, other therapeutic courts, and restorative justice.
- Address Māori over-representation in the prison system, including by incorporating Māori values of justice and Māori-led initiative, and tackling systemic biases.
- Read more here.
- Place a moratorium on the building of new prisons and expand the provision of Whare Oranga Ake and Māori Focus Units in existing prisons.
- Reduce the prison muster by 25% by 2025.
- Develop a Māori Pathway for Women Prisoners that are culturally responsive to assist in addressing the disproportionate number of Māori women in prison.
- Reinvest in te reo and tikanga programmes in all prisons and programmes to support prisoners reintegrating back into the community.
- Support iwi-led, kaupapa focused initiatives in prisons to reduce recidivism amongst offenders.
- Read more here.
- Introduce the Positive Pathways programme to incentivise more prisoners to complete personalised rehabilitation and training programmes, improving their chances of remaining crime-free when they are released to further reduce crime and improve public safety.
- Prisoners whose sentences are two years or less and who successfully complete their training and treatment plan will be eligible for release 10 per cent earlier. Prisoners serving more than two years will get an individualised training and treatment plan. Successful completion will trigger an earlier parole hearing.
- Invest an extra $48 million in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes over the next four years to deliver another 6000 places.
- We don’t want people who are on remand for the first time to return to prison. We will expand alcohol, drug, literacy and numeracy programmes for this group to improve their outcomes and reduce their chances of returning to prison.
- Work to ensure there are tougher sanctions for the small number of offenders who repeatedly breach their ESO (Extended Supervision Order) conditions
- Read more here and here.
- Use home detention only for non-violent offenders.
- Introduce a greater range of non-custodial sentences such as the confiscation of property, larger and long term reparation payments and fines.
- Implement short, sharp custodial sentences, with dedicated, stipulated, supervised and monitored work.
- Read more here.
- Make drug and alcohol rehabilitation courses available for inmates who have been identified with drug or alcohol addictions.
- Make literacy programmes available for those inmates who have been identified as having difficulty with reading and writing, in an effort to more successfully integrate inmates back into society upon release.
- Ensure that prison inmates are provided with co-ordinated re-integration services upon release, including stricter supervision regimes, mandatory drug-testing and drug treatment options, mandatory community work for those without paid work, and access to suitable and stable accommodation.
- Make suitable employment and accommodation integral components of the parole process.
- Read more here.
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