Soft option for jail's hard men

By Jan Corbett

When Corrections Minister Nick Smith opened a violence prevention unit at Rimutaka prison last year, it was hailed as a world first.

Part of the Department of Correction's new focus on curbing re-offending, the unit caters for 30 inmates at any one time. These are men, criminals, who decide they want to put their violent ways behind them and volunteer for the eight-month programme.

The unit's principal psychologist, Bridget White, says changing violent behaviour is hard work. One of the problems is that in the prison culture, violence is a respected crime.

"Once you've been violent, you have that in your toolkit - it's always there," she says.

The programme aims to provide tools other than violent reactions to beat problems.

It was designed by Department of Corrections staff, drawing on overseas research.

The first part of the programme gets the men to identify what it was in their own lives that convinced them violence was acceptable.

"They usually talk about what happened at home," says Bridget White, "rather than what they saw on television."

The next stage gives them skills to manage their anger, teaching them to analyse how they are feeling and showing them that rather than throwing a punch or picking up a weapon, they can take time out from the situation or develop better communication.

The last phase is to equip them to re-enter society without lapsing into violent crime. That involves getting them to work out a strategy for avoiding or managing high-risk situations.

After only one year, it is too soon to know if the violence prevention unit is working. But Bridget White says staff can see changes in the men's behaviour and attitudes, and after they return to the prison, some of the guards report a marked change in behaviour.