Robson Matt: Corrections Bill — First Reading 
Robson Matt: Corrections Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:607;Page:4695] 
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 I am surprised that on a subject like that of this bill there are not more members here in the Chamber. The reason I am surprised is that I have found that every one of the 120 members of this House is an absolute expert on prisons. Yet as the former Minister responsible for prisons I found that there were very few members who had actually visited prisons and for some of those who had it was a very fleeting visit rather than an in-depth one. 
The corrections system in New Zealand can take a lot of criticism. There were a lot of things to change. It was only 10 years ago at te Mangaroa Prison in Hawke’s Bay that savage beatings were handed out to inmates—inmates whom I would quickly say had no sympathy from the New Zealand population because they had carried out some terrible crimes. But the beatings were carried out by staff. That happened about 10 years ago. There was never a thorough investigation of what happened there and it took a long time to clean that prison up. Recently as I am sure Mr Mark will bring to our attention at Christchurch Prison a group was set up to enforce security. It was popularly known as the goon squad. That was an inappropriate use of security in a prison and the group was disbanded. There are many many examples that could be brought up in the prison system of matters where change is needed. 
But the most important aspect of the bill is that it attempts—in fact I think it more than attempts; I think it succeeds—to reflect the positive changes that have been made in the New Zealand corrections system to my knowledge making it one of the leading corrections departments in the world. It has taken some time to get through to members of this House and to the public that the changes being carried out are aimed at reducing reoffending. That means that inside a prison the first task is to know whom we are dealing with how we can make changes and how we can make those changes be of a long-term nature. It is very clear that we need standards in our prisons. One of the difficulties with private prisons and there has been some discussion on that is that in a prison system one can get a number of different standards. So the part of the bill that ends the contracting-out of prisons to allow for private prisons is not a shutting down. That measure will ensure that we have a similar standard throughout our prisons. The challenge is to make that standard a very high one. 
It has been pointed out that in my time as a Minister I praised the private prison that exists at Mount Eden. I did praise it. I was very impressed with the programmes that it ran and with the professionalism of those involved. I said that to the staff and I said it publicly. At the same time I said it would be the Government’s policy that private prisons would come to an end when that contract ended and I gave my reasons for that decision. I gave the reason that the most important aspect of a prison system is to reflect the fact that taking somebody’s liberty is a duty of the State. It is a very very onerous step to take away the liberty of the citizens of any country and therefore when we do that we need to make sure that all the safeguards are there. In my opinion and in the opinion of the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government that safeguard is guaranteed by ensuring that the State is the custodian of prisoners. But I praised the prison at Mount Eden because the corrections system needs to look for the highest standards. The majority of those working in the private remand prison at Mount Eden were trained in public prison systems throughout the world and in New Zealand and Australia in particular and they have given a good shake-up to many of the methods that can and should be used. 
But parallel to that process has been the shake-up that has been going on throughout the corrections system in New Zealand. This bill reflects the fact that in 1954 we had 200 inmates at Mount Eden Prison and I think at a maximum 800 prisoners throughout the country. We now have 6000 people in corrections institutions and about another 20000 people on probation in periodic detention etc. So there is a large number of people within the corrections system. The bill now encompasses those changes and the changes that have been made in order to allow our prisons to get at the core of offending. 
One thing that the bill also does is to reflect the new method in prisons of integrated offender management. Integrated offender management is a triumph of the resolve of those people in the corrections system who are determined not just to handle people in prison as those who should just be warehoused but to be able to undertake the changes necessary to return them as humanly as possible safely to the community. If members read the bill carefully they will see that public safety is a paramount principle within the bill. As well as that in the final analysis public safety which is the aim of the prison system can be ensured only if inside a prison system we have both the resources to carry out the programmes that are necessary and also the structure to make sure that those programmes are in the best interests of the community and the inmates and therefore ultimately of victims. 
Victims are another important aspect of this bill. It takes into account the interests of victims and that is a growing part of New Zealand’s justice system—making sure that we incorporate what happens to people who are the victims of offending. In the Sentencing Act and in the Parole Act the aspects of both the victim and the need to change the offender are central parts of what we are doing. 
If there is one amendment that I consider we should make to this bill it would be to strengthen the provisions to ensure that we take account of restorative justice practices and processes. Restorative justice is a growing phenomenon in New Zealand with communities taking big steps towards being involved in the processes where there has been offending and towards making sure that communities are part of the solution to offending and our New Zealand prisons are not left behind in that. 
In the Hawke’s Bay prison we have the Sycamore Project which I am sure a number of members have visited. It brings victims and offenders together—not necessarily the same victim for the particular offender but offenders face up to what they do to victims. It is a project that has had the enthusiasm of dedicated people both in terms of those who are corrections staff and those who are part of community organisations. I believe this bill should reflect that process and enable us to go forward. 
Another part of the prison system that is crucial to making sure that the goal of avoiding reoffending is reached is recognition of what we do with the large number of Maori in prison. Mr Perry spoke about that. I would be the first to say that at this stage what we are doing is still inadequate. But recognition should be given to the steps that have been taken to make sure that when Maori come into prison we ensure that the best programmes possible in terms of recognising who they are and how they can change are put into place. This bill has updated provisions that will make sure that the legislation reflects the prison system as it is today and not as it was in 1954 and that will underpin the forward movement for the Maori programmes. 
The Maori focus units in New Zealand by the dedication of those who have serviced them—both the corrections staff and the Maori from the community—are a shining light in our prison system. They have got to the core of offending. Before programmes had integrated offender management—which I have praised and which should be enhanced by this bill. The Maori focus units have taken the concept that we take a person from where he or she is by looking at the person’s background and the inherent values that person is entitled to have and strengthening and working on those. It is nothing less than a simple recognition that offending by Maori is offending against Maori as well. 
This bill is not the end of what we need to do in terms of our prison statistics which are far from satisfactory. But it is a big step along the way. The bill will give our corrections staff—I say here quite publicly they are the unsung heroes of New Zealand’s fight against offending in the main—a tool that will allow them to put in place the best practices that we should have in a modern New Zealand prison system.