KEY POINTS:
National is to investigate placing Corrections Department operations back under the Justice Ministry's control, claiming it is functioning in a culture of denial. Leader John Key says the caucus had asked corrections and justice spokesman Simon Power to review the department's future under a National government.
What do you think?
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Here is the latest selection of your views:
Matt Elvin
Not sure that I agree with John Keys and his views to scrap the dept of corrections. I cannot see that amalgamation into Dept of Justice will fix the issues at hand as largely the business will be run by the same people, and given the problems described by the Herald people is where the problem lies. My view is (and I have worked at Corrections on contracts twice) is that the culture of Corrections is not constructive and is conducive to finger pointing and the blame-game. I don't think Justice is any better in a lot of areas so really can't see the advantage of amalgamation. Better investment in people, pay them more and attract some top talent and put in better personal performance measurement and follow up frameworks are probably better measures. We have seen some mistakes, and serious and avoidable ones, but Corrections deals with awful, unpredictable and unbalanced people with by and large a huge chip on their shoulder about society...they are always going to cause us headaches no matter who runs the service.
Andy Armitage
Corrections are doing a really good job, They are extremely transparent in what they do, and are involved in a very difficult and thankless task. There is no magic wand to wave at offenders to stop them re-offending. Offenders decide to offend and we would do well to remember this when looking for someone to blame. Furthermore, when Corrections do succeed in turning around an offenders thinking - it is not really newsworthy is it? That someone manages to not hit his girlfriend for a year and so on... What critics of corrections forget is that unless we radically change our laws, most offenders are returned to society to serve their sentence, or after they have served their sentence and these people then have rights and cannot be sent back to prison because of hunches. Furthermore, Corrections cannot recall someone to prison, it is the responsibility of the Parole Board, and it is even more difficult to recall someone who is on the run! Incidentally, in the case of Burton, we do well to remember that Corrections had warrants out for Burton before the police did. Perhaps the media should not have put Mr Burtons face on the newspapers every day, perhaps the police should have been more effective in finding him and so on. The blame game helps nobody but Simon Powers whose job it is to find fault with the Government Department. Offenders should be held accountable for their actions. Predicting future behaviour is not an exact science.
Keith
I know, let us have a corrections dept to fix the Corrections Dept.Its just more bull piled on top of the existing. Corrections needs to get it right and as quickly as possible, He should be talking about helping the Corrections Dept not hiding it somewhere else.
Andrew
Yes, this was better when justice & corrections were together prior to 1996. National was learning this in its 3 years after changing this but when Labour took office theyve left it in a declining state. Now 8 years later Labour has shown it is intent on getting negative statistics out of the media rather than dealing with issues and in doing so is flip-flopping labels of people to dampen the reality of our sliding personal safety & rehabilitation of criminals in our decaying society. We need to spend less on criminals incarceration & more on prevention. Where are these 1000 extra front line Police we have been promised between 2005 & 2008? Last I heard weve a 90 net gain of Police (dont be fooled by the recruit statistics). And who would want to be a cop now with all of their powers eroding away? I recommend you check out this editorial by Heather Roy - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0610/S00526.htm So heres to who ever can take control of our criminals. If National can prove they are the ones, then lets see!
Thomus Williams
Good work Mr. Key in trying to promote some accountability in the civil service and being willing to accept that it was a mistake of a past National Govt. in removing corrections from the Justice Ministry. I worry however that in the process you have managed to turn the whole civil service against you still a full year out from the next campaign. Watch as the Wellington bureaucrats take aim at National and say goodbye to any chance of winning Wellington Central.
Anon
It is clear that something needs to be done about the Department of Corrections. For years it has been caught in the stranglehold of psychologists who are fundamentally incapable of understanding the logistical and political imperatives of running a corrections department. They have an absurdly complicated assessment and treatment process that is designed to prioritise psychological (or quasi-psychological) perspectives over social, cultural, familial or financial ones, and their front line staff find it virtually impossible to implement their assessment and treatment processes. Not long ago, their business as usual was evaluated and found to be lacking. All of the feedback given by corrections officers and probation staff on the issues surrounding the Departments psychologised business as usual was literally binned. The Corrections Department doesnt only dismiss community needs, it also refuses to listen to any of its staff, meet its obligations in terms of the Treaty, and is fundamentally arrogant about the perspectives of anyone other than a select few psychologists and their cronies who have decimated the Department. Should it be scrapped and Justice take over its functions? Well, its a stupid question. Justice is a policy ministry, not a service delivery agency. Justice would have to fundamentally alter its operation. But some measure of accountability must be introduced. It is not enough to have the same faces on committees, the same old excuses and lies perpetrated. The community deserves more, the Departments staff deserves more, and the offenders in the Departments remit deserve more. Its time for a major shake up.
Nick Burtenshaw
Absolutely... people have died as a result of blatant imcompetence...and all they can say is sorry, it wasnt our mistake. Whose mistake was it then? The blame game , more sorrys but how does that help the dead person the their families? A consistent theme with this existing government....mistakes no accountability and the incompetence set to continue. May I ask how many more people have to die before they do something urgently? Now if it was retrospective legislation affecting Labour and their spending...well then you would see action?
Jim Donald
Yes I think they should be disestablished. Esp. after the latest revelations.
Raj Subramanian
Political leaders have retail solutions for wholesale problems. If National gives an objective of bringing down the crime numbers by half in their 3 year period that I will term it as wholesale. They want to show us that this is what we do. As citizens, we dont even know what is the involvement of the corrections department and justice department in this episode. We dont care what the next govt. will do - In an object oriented governance citizens expect measurable performance - it may be through visible or through implied action. Let him say explicitly this is the numbers we will bring down to, through various measures. Then Labour will announce matching numbers. Then we will atleast get the crime down, whether National or Labour is in Government.
Peter Baumanis
I had been a Prison Officer in New Zealand for 12 years and in 2003 left to work for the Queensland Corrective Services. I have read your article with interest and can understand why the Department of Corrections are having the problems that they are. The problem with the NZ Prison system is that they are taking the softly softly approach in how they deal with the prisoners. They have a large gang problem in NZ and these elements seem to rule the way prisons are run. At the time that I left, morale was at an all time low with the problem coming down from Management. Everything was cost driven and if that meant taking risks that may have compromised security then the Department were prepared to do that. It should be pointed out that the escort when the 17 year old was murdered in the back of the escort vehicle was in actual fact a private contractor and not the Department of Corrections employees.
Rossnz
It can not come soon enough. What a stupid name to call a department that fails so often to correct criminals behaviour. They cant even correctly influence a very young boy murderer. What show have they got with hardened criminals. Overseas experienced prison warders havent been able to cope with NZs slack discipline and violent prisons. Much prison violence is allegedly unreported to avoid it affecting bonuses. Contract the service out is probably the answer. Change the name to something that more accurately reflects what happens. Corrections Department is a farcical name.
Harnesh
I think Corrections needs a shake up, but should remain a Dept. Letting the lefty liberals in Ministry of Justice run prisons will see more criminals back on the streets within minutes. New leadership in Corrections to tighten up the ship would be the best move.
Dave Russell
Yes I agree with John Key. The Corrections Dept should be scrapped. There has been too many mistakes made. Where does the buck stop?
