Minister opens new drug treatment unit

Corrections Minister Judith Collins today opened the first of three new drug treatment units which will double the number of prisoners able to undertake drug rehabilitation in New Zealand prisons.

The new unit, at Otago Corrections Facility, will provide specialist drug treatment for around 180 prisoners a year.

Two further drug and alcohol units, at Wanganui and Auckland prisons, will be completed by 2011 bringing the total number of drug treatment units around the country to nine.

The three new drug treatment units will offer, for the first time, condensed three-month treatment programmes, so that the large number of prisoners serving shorter sentences can attend and receive treatment.

"The opening of this unit shows the Government is delivering on its promise of doubling the number of prisoners who will receive drug and alcohol treatment  annually from 500 to 1000," Ms Collins said.

"The condensed treatment programme provides the same treatment hours as the standard six-month programme, but over a shorter time.

"It will allow Corrections to treat younger prisoners serving their first, and usually shorter, sentences and could help prevent them from moving to a lifetime of addiction and crime."

Ms Collins said drugs and alcohol were major drivers of crime in New Zealand and two-thirds of prisoners entered prison with drug and alcohol problems.

"The Department of Corrections is now managing an all-time high muster of 8746 prisoners across 20 prisons, courts and police cells, in addition to just over 45,000 offenders serving community-based sentences and orders.

"These are not numbers we should be proud of. Breaking that cycle of drugs and offending is crucial if we want to reduce the number of prisoners we have in this country."