Prisoner numbers expected to soar in coming decade

Expansions at Waikeria and Christchurch Men’s Prisons are part of preparations by Corrections for the projected increase. An 810-bed expansion planned for Waikeria was announced in May last year, and a 596-bed facility opened this month.

The Government’s 2025 Budget also announced a 292-bed expansion to Christchurch Men’s Prison, with Corrections receiving a major funding boost to support 580 new front-line roles, 210 nurses, probation officers and education tutors.

Corrections said there are currently 10,641 inmates across 18 New Zealand prisons. Of these, 800 are women. Māori make up 52 per cent of the current inmates, despite making up only 17 per cent of the population.

Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell said he has four priorities for Corrections: ensuring prison capacity; improving staffing levels; increasing staff safety; and reducing re-offending through effective rehabilitation.

“Delivering against these priorities will make our prisons safer for all – staff, prisoners and our communities,” Mr Mitchell said. “Rehabilitating people while they are in prison is a critical part of addressing crime.”

A hikoi in Wellington by People Against Prisons Aotearoa protesting the expansions arrived on Parliament’s lawn earlier this month. Spokesperson Emmy Rakete said there had been projections of up to 15,000 inmates in the next decade.

“Australia is a country that loves imprisoning people, and we blew past them in prison population per capita a couple years ago,” Dr Rakete said.

Labour Corrections spokesperson Tracey McLennan said imprisonment does not work in terms of reducing crime.

“Lowest reoffending rates came from those who were sentenced to community sentences where they could access drug and alcohol programmes and rehabilitation programmes in the community,” she said.

Dr Rakete said: “We know this [current] system has disastrous outcomes and we know that someone put in prison is more likely to reoffend than if he didn’t go inside.

“The solution is to lock fewer people up and do more things like social housing and more things that help people keep out of prison. If they are locked up, they come out to no housing, so go back to what they know . . . to make money.”

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Protests against Waikeria and Christchurch prison expansions (By Joseph Los’e/New Zealand Herald)