Prison chaplains stretched with increasing inmate numbers

TTPCA chief executive John Axcell stated in the organisation’s 2024 annual report that the number of prisoners keeps growing, and “so the way ahead requires careful discernment and an openness to God for seeing the best way to provide chaplaincy”.

There were 9000 prisoners in January 2024. By the end of 2024, that number had increased to 10,300, Mr Axcell said.

The middle of 2025 will be a “critical time for TTPCA with our current funding contract” with the Department of Corrections Ara Poutama Aotearoa “finishing at the end of June”.

“The next several months will involve negotiating a new contract and this will set the framework for the next season of ministry in the prisons,” Mr Axcell said.

One of the highlights of the year was the increased involvement by volunteers, “who are a vital part of our service”, he added.

“The higher volunteer participation has meant that our core business of delivering group and individual care to the men and women in prison has grown too.

“The percentage of men and women in prison who accessed group services has risen from 9 per cent to nearly 14 per cent.

“We have a long way to go, however, before we reach the 25-30 per cent group service participation levels of the pre-COVID period.

“In the meantime, I’m really pleased to see chaplaincy continuing to provide near full-strength, one-on-one services while the group services are in a long season of rebuild.”

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference works closely with TTPCA to provide Catholic chaplaincy in all prisons throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

The TTPCA report included a reflection by Forrest Chambers, a Catholic chaplain at Manawatu Prison.

Asked what stands out for him in his role, Mr Chambers said that it is important to be genuine, so that prisoners “know you are greeting them as yourself, rather than someone doing a professional role”.

“I think that’s possibly because a lot of prisoners don’t get much recognition in the world,” he said.

“Many have had hard backgrounds and have been told they’re rubbish, and some people will only be known for what they’ve done rather than as a person with a name.

“It’s very simple in a way, but just treating prisoners in contrast to that, by regarding them as another person like yourself, shows you value them and are upholding their basic dignity.”

FULL STORY

2024 TTPCA Report – Flip PDF | FlipBuilder (Tira Tūhāhā Prison Chaplaincy Aotearoa Annual Report 2024)