Field Taito Phillip: Corrections Bill — Third Reading 
Field Taito Phillip: Corrections Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:617;Page:13351] 
Hon TAITO PHILLIP FIELD (Minister of State) 
: 
 I am very pleased to contribute to this debate because I think our corrections policy in this country is very important particularly when we consider the disproportionate number of Maori and Pacific inmates in our jails. 
Earlier I heard some comments about a lack of initiatives for Pacific and Maori inmates. I am concerned that the wrong perception is being created in this debate because there has been the development of a Pacific strategy and I was recently involved in launching it in Hastings. I want to acknowledge one specific gentleman Luki Purcell who has worked very hard on that strategy. He served in the Department of Corrections for a very long time and has recently retired. 
The strategy provides a direction from July 2002 to June 2005 for reducing reoffending by Pacific offenders. It is a pilot scheme and I believe it is a very positive initiative. It illustrates what this Government is trying to do in terms of preventive and rehabilitation work to ensure that inmates do not reoffend when they come out of prison. It looks at how they integrate with the community at how they go back into society and at some of the positive things that the link with the community can do for the rehabilitation of inmates. 
This bill enhances a lot of good work and the focus in relation to private prisons is not accurate when we look at the figures. Although there have perhaps been some good initiatives—particularly in relation to some of the advisory groups within the community that have been established with the private prison—I see no reason why that cannot also be the case for the public prisons. Certainly it is clear that it is cheaper economically to run public prisons compared with private prisons. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Nonsense! 
Hon TAITO PHILLIP FIELD 
: The facts before me show that it costs $36000 per inmate at a public prison compared with $42000 at the Auckland Central Remand Prison. So it is certainly a lot cheaper according to the figures that I have been given. 
 There is no question in my mind that the public prison system is just as effective and efficient as private prisons overseas. I believe that the responsibility of locking people up and monitoring them—and of ensuring that the job is done properly—is the responsibility of the Government not of some private company. 
Hon John Tamihere 
: They would sell the prisons. 
Hon TAITO PHILLIP FIELD 
: That is right. I am concerned that a disproportionate number of certain sections of our community is represented in the jail population. I am pleased it is this Government’s policy to ensure that those who are prison guards reflect our communities. 
There is also a concern about the location of prisons. I know that for a long time it has been a very big problem that inmates have become dislocated from their families and homes particularly as a large number of Maori and Pacific people in prisons are shifted to the South Island or to prisons further south from their families. That has resulted in a lot of requests—and I am sure that my colleague John Tamihere appreciates this because he gets a lot of representations in his electorate office as I do—from families who are trying to have inmates shifted closer so they can visit them. I have had many representations in relation to inmates who are in prisons in Wanganui Wellington and the South Island. The representations have also been in relation to residential custody facilities for youth where some young inmates have been dislocated from their families. It is very important to take that into account when it comes to legislation and in terms of our future planning. 
I believe that this bill is due and is warranted because of some of the changes to legislation made by this Government which is really getting tough on offending. The Government is tough on crime and as a result our corrections system has to change to meet the tougher measures that this Government has put in place. Labour is committed to reducing recidivism and to utilising where appropriate restorative and reintegrative justice policies to ensure that the rate of reoffending is reduced. 
Early intervention will be emphasised in the Budget announcements tomorrow. I think that in the justice and corrections area we will see some real direction in funding to ensure that those rehabilitative and early intervention programmes are put in place and are properly funded. 
On this side of the House we believe that prevention is better than cure. It is better to look at preventing people from going to jail at preventing people from offending and committing crime rather than ending up in jail. That is the philosophy behind this bill. We are very supportive of the bill and of the programmes that have been put in place to involve the community in the rehabilitation of inmates.