Katene Rahui: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading 
Katene Rahui: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading 
[Volume:652;Page:1519] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 One of the facts that really stood out in the Department of Corrections’ post-election briefing to its Minister was the fact that the majority of offenders have histories of addiction and substance abuse that have typically contributed to their offending. The statistic that said it all was that a massive 90 percent of inmates fall into this category. Nine out of every 10 prisoners have a history of drug and alcohol abuse. What we know too is that if these same inmates do not receive treatment while in prison there is an impossibly high chance that upon release their addiction will lead to criminal behaviour that leads the offenders right back through the prison gates. It is a vicious cycle in which the revolving prison door places relentless pressure on the economy and a heavy burden on society. 
What we are talking about is not just the 7900 inmates who currently occupy our prisons; we are talking about the children the partners and the parents of these inmates. We are talking about the 29000 staff who work in the justice sector. If the forecasting is right the pressures on prison capacity will get even worse with the projected increase to 10700 inmates by 2016. This is population growth that nobody welcomes. The impetus then to get it right is incredibly important. This bill is a step in the right direction. 
The Maori Party fully supports the intention to improve the operation of the corrections system to move with the times and to respond to some of the technological advances that challenge the sector. Our overriding caution however is that the amendments in this bill will certainly allow a clean sweep of the system but what we worry about is the amount of dirt still swept under the mat. By dirt I am referring to the rubbish that is smuggled in by loved ones and staff the substances that addle minds hype up the paranoia add fuel to an explosive temper and become the key ingredient in conflict and dispute. 
The vital need to address drug and alcohol abuse has been swept under the carpet while we deal to search detection and offence provisions. It is a bit like the perennial problem of Governments that become fixated on building prisons rather than investing in solutions. The new Minister of Corrections has been confronted with the fact that the downstream effects of Labour’s policies have created a massive demand for prison beds spiralling up to 2200 more beds—the equivalent of four new prisons. The taxpayer is counting the cost of a prison system that continues to breed failure by building jails and incarcerating people but ignores the critical issues and systemic failure that lead to criminal offending in the first place. 
But there is good news at hand. The Maori Party is delighted that our co-leader Dr Pita Sharples has been appointed Associate Minister of Corrections. Dr Sharples has spoken often in this House of his desire to enhance the mana of all people in society and especially those caught up in the criminal justice system by promoting a system based on restorative principles and less on adversarial principles. It is a principle that clearly this Government has recognised as desperately needed in a criminal justice system that fails to invest in the restoration of relationships and ignores the imperative to inspire offenders to address the issues that led to offending. 
It is a principle also that Ombudsman Mel Smith promoted in his inquiry into the criminal justice sector in 2007. In his report he concluded: “I believe that statements from politicians are necessary which challenge the ‘more imprisonment’ panacea. 
I am of the view that such statements will be heard with a great deal more sympathy than is superficially apparent as my investigation leads me to conclude that there is much wider public support for and social acceptance of an approach to offenders based on humanity rather than retrebrition”— 
Hon Judith Collins 
: Retribution. 
RAHUI KATENE 
: —I thank the Minister—“than is apparent from headlines.” This is good news. 
Hon Member 
: Who wrote this rubbish? 
RAHUI KATENE 
: It is the Ombudsman’s fault for using that word. 
What he said is good news. It is a debate well worth having. In their various contracts across the State sector chief executives of Government departments are required to contribute to public debate in their field. We look forward to the chief executives of the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Corrections leading this debate about the things that really matter: the three R’s of rehabilitation restoration and reintegration. 
I have broadened our debate on this bill to ensure that we have a sharp focus on the whole operation of the corrections system not just the various measures that are being introduced to improve incrementally the control of contraband in prisons. Make no mistake: the heightened emphasis on operational measures to restrict contraband to monitor prisoner mail and telephone calls to disable and jam cellphones and to increase information sharing with the police are all worthy goals. And we are particularly pleased that amongst the legislative measures is the understanding that the offence provisions will apply to all inmates and staff. 
The bill specifies a whole range of precise indicators. The additional search powers will now apply to staff lockers and spaces. There are detection provisions regarding drug and alcohol testing. There are new offence provisions regarding sample tampering. There is a consistent standard that all mail can be read in order to determine whether there are grounds for it to be withheld. There is authority for the department to intercept monitor disable disrupt and interfere with wireless transmission to prevent cellphone use. And the bill now enables information to be shared with the police and to be extended to relevant social agencies. These are all important means of achieving compliance with law reform to improve the operations of the corrections system. 
The smuggling of cellphones into prison has long been a problem. Having access to mobile technology ensures access to a means to organise criminal activity. Access to a mobile can also provide the opportunity for those on the inside to harass and threaten victims witnesses or other members of the public on the outside. Furthermore increasing the capacity to monitor prisoners’ telephones calls increases the chance of being able to prevent illegal activities or the harassment of members of the public by inmates. 
It is of course noteworthy that the staff of prisons are to be included within the scope of this bill. We do of course recall that there have been unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct and corruption laid against staff at Rimutaka Prison in the last 2 years and that many of those staff were Maori. Bearing this in mind Maori Party members will be watching carefully to see that these new provisions do not in fact escalate harassment of prison staff and Maori staff in particular. 
Finally I return to the dirt under the mat. The Department of Corrections administers a screening test of offenders at the pre-sentence stage. That test can be used to develop sentence plans and to refer inmates to appropriate services including prison-based drug treatment units. Currently there are enough treatment places for about 500 prisoners per year. That is a mere 6 percent of the total muster. We know that substance abuse treatment does make a difference in minimising criminal behaviour and reducing the recidivism rate. Treatment if associated with community supervision and social support upon release is even more likely to be successful. Although we support this bill as a very positive move to ensure that search detection and offence provisions are introduced to improve the justice system we cannot rest easy until a comprehensive approach is taken to address drug and alcohol abuse to provide effective education and training opportunities and to invest in success rather than systematic failure. Thank you.