Nash StuartCORRECTIONS AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon STUART NASH (Minister of Police) on behalf of the Minister of Corrections: I move That the Corrections Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate that the bill be referred to the Justice Committee. The corrections system exists to keep the public safe and to help keep New Zealand a just society. The Department of Corrections does this by administering custodial sentences and orders safely securely humanely and effectively. The legislation governing the corrections system is generally working well. However some opportunities have been identified to optimise the running of the system. The Corrections Amendment Bill will strengthen the corrections system by improving prison discipline and security as well as the fair safe and humane treatment of people in prison.The bill contains 16 proposals and I want to highlight several of these in this speech. The bill largely focuses on improving the treatment of people in prison. Prisons house some of New Zealand's most vulnerable and challenging people. Many of them come through the corrections system in poor health. Around 62 percent of them enter the system with an existing mental health and addiction issue. They struggle with alcohol and drug use have undiagnosed illnesses and often have had violent abusive or otherwise chaotic lives.Of course nobody goes to prison without a reason. These people are in jail to keep the public safe. As a society we hold them to account by restricting their freedoms. We must not forget that they have been sent to prison as punishment not for punishment. And while prisons are places of incarceration they must also be places of rehabilitation. Prisoners in New Zealand are four times more likely than the general population to have ever attempted suicide so the first thing I want to highlight is that this bill introduces a comprehensive framework for managing prisoners who are at risk of harming themselves. It will make sure that these prisoners are assessed properly. It will make sure that whenever the Department of Corrections is required to segregate someone for at-risk harm they are checked regularly their needs are responded to quickly and there is thorough planning for their care and their management.I want to take time here to note that the Department of Corrections is investing $25 million into piloting new mental health services in a new model of care for at-risk prisoners. Combine this with the new legislative framework and the care of prisoners who are vulnerable to suicide or self-harm will be more therapeutic and will take a longer-term approach. There is no good to society if prisoners who walk in the door with a mental health or an addiction issue leave prison with that same mental health or addiction issue without it having been addressed. These people will receive the intervention and support they need to improve their well-being so at least they have the chance to be productive citizens when they leave prison.The second change I want to highlight is that this bill updates the ability of corrections to use imaging technology like body scanners in prisons. It will enable the use of imaging technology for searching for contraband. This technology is less physically invasive than rub-down or strip searches and much more accurate than basic scanners such as metal detectors. So imaging technology searches are effective at locating contraband and afford more dignity to the people being searched. This change will help keep prisons free from drugs and weapons making them safer places for staff visitors and prisoners and at the same time it will make them more humane places.The Department of Corrections is in effect a sole provider of a service nobody wants to receive and prisoners let's be honest can be difficult clients. As I mentioned before people often come to prison unwell unstable and dangerous. They can be a threat to themselves and to others. This bill will improve the disciplinary regime in prisons and therefore make it easier for corrections to manage people in prison safely and securely. Amending the definition of a drug to align with the Psychoactive Substances Act will allow corrections to test prisoners and discipline them appropriately for the use of a wider range of drugs including synthetic cannabis.The bill will also make it a disciplinary offence to give a tattoo in prison either to yourself—not you Mr Assistant Speaker—or to another person or to consent to receive a tattoo from someone else.Hon Members: Ha ha!Hon STUART NASH: I probably didn't need to highlight that did I? Prison tattoos pose significant health risks as equipment is improvised and often not sterile. This change will help corrections staff reduce the volume of tattooing that occurs in prisons. In addition to establishing new disciplinary offences that will help corrections staff manage prisoners securely and safely the bill adds a requirement for newly admitted prisoners to be given written information about disciplinary offences to ensure they know what the offences are. Knowing about the offences functions as a deterrent and also makes sure that no one can claim ignorance of the rules as an excuse for failing to comply. Obviously this is about prisoners but it's also about protecting the men and the women who work for our corrections department who do a fantastic job often unrecognised and it can be thankless.But finally the last change I want highlight is an improvement to the mothers with babies regime. One of the most unfortunate aspects of prison is that families are separated. This can be very difficult for children who are inadvertently punished through no fault of their own. Prisoners who are mothers of very young children can currently apply to have their children live with them until they are 24 months old in dedicated mother and baby units. These units give mothers and babies the chance to bond in a safe and supportive environment when this is assessed as in the child's best interests. Under the current settings a decision made about placement or otherwise of a baby with its mother in prison is final. This bill gives mothers the statutory right to appeal the decision and introduces a review process.Angie Warren-Clark: Nice. Nice that.Hon STUART NASH: Yeah. Thank you. The changes this bill makes to the legislative framework of the corrections system will help the Department of Corrections manage difficult people in a difficult environment and will also ensure that these people are treated fairly safely and humanely. When they are released we want them to be equipped to participate positively in society so we can keep them and the rest of our community safe. I believe this bill contributes to this goal. I commend this bill to the House.