Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 27 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3427. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 Here is a good Public Service target: how about reducing the reoffending rate by 25 percent by 2017? What do you think about that? How is that for a target? This is just the kind of target that Labour would label as being meaningless. Well I can tell you that the people who will feel safer in their homes do not think it is meaningless. Interestingly Chris Hipkins also said that it is meaningless if you do not do anything to back it up. I absolutely agree with him: it is meaningless if you do nothing to back it up. Well here is the good news. In the National Government we are doing a lot to back up the excellent target of reducing the number of prisoners by 600—600 less prisoners by 2017— 
Grant Robertson 
: That would be “fewer”. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: —and 18500 fewer victims of crime each year by 2017. How are we going to do that? How is the National Government going to do that—to reduce reoffending in our prisons? Well I went to Rimutaka Prison last week. I spent time with a young prisoner in a workshop. Let me tell you about that young prisoner. He was a young man. He looked like he was in his early 20s. 
Shane Ardern 
: He wouldn’t have looked as young as Hipkins though. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Well Mr Hipkins knows a lot. Mr Hipkins thinks it is meaningless but I disagree actually because I spoke to this young prisoner in Rimutaka Prison who was doing a New Zealand Qualifications Framework qualification inside Rimutaka Prison. Do you know what he was doing? He was doing a New Zealand Qualifications Framework course in bricklaying. He was building letterboxes just like they build in Christchurch and he was really proud of his work. I talked to him. He was enjoying the work. He was treated just like a trainee for the purposes of this course not like a prisoner. He was enjoying having to be there at 8 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock in the afternoon. He enjoyed learning a trade. Do you know what he was really looking forward to this prisoner? This prisoner was really looking forward to doing the next course because the next course was even more challenging for him. He was looking forward to doing the next course in sheet metal work. That is another New Zealand Qualifications Framework course that that prisoner was looking forward to. Do you know what he was looking forward to after that? He was looking forward to finishing his time getting back out into the community and getting a job. If it that is walking the walk then this Government is doing that.  
 We know very well why there is such a high reoffending rate and that is because prisoners have got issues with literacy prisoners have got issues with numeracy and there is drug and alcohol dependence which is well known as a factor for reoffending. So this Government is doing something about it. Not only are we setting excellent targets to keep our communities safer but we are doing something about it. For example even remand prisoners who may be in prison for only a short time are now being offered interventions for alcohol and drug treatment. 
I met another young man last week in my town. This young man was on a downward spiral. He had mental health issues he certainly had drug and alcohol dependency issues and he was increasingly getting into trouble with the police. We know where that young man may end up: the likelihood is there that he may end up in Milton prison on remand. Well there in Milton prison that young man on remand is going to be offered drug and alcohol interventions. That young man on remand in Milton prison is going to be offered courses in literacy. 
This is a Government that is committed to addressing the drivers of crime and reducing reoffending by 25 percent by 2017. And if that is not a worthy goal then I invite the members opposite to tell me what is. In the last year prisoners gained recognised New Zealand Qualifications Framework qualifications. Eighty-five thousand credits were earned by prisoners in the prison system last year including level 2 certificates—fantastic. If you have got a level 2 certificate in a trade then you are more likely to get a job. Guess how many of those were earned last year—over 700. That is a fantastic result.