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Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has announced that the country’s first sex offender register, the Child Protection Offender Register, is to be introduced to help keep communities safe.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Police
  • Corrections

Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says the Government is taking action to tackle and prevent gang crime, to reduce the harm it causes to families and communities.

For the first time, a multi-agency approach involving intelligence-gathering, enhanced law enforcement, prevention, intervention, rehabilitation and reintegration will be adopted to address New Zealand gangs and transnational crime groups. 

  • Anne Tolley
  • Police
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith have welcomed the completed refurbishment of the first four earthquake-damaged red zone houses in Christchurch, undertaken as part of a joint initiative between the Department of Corrections and Housing New Zealand (HNZ) and officially opened today by the Prime Minister. 

  • Nick Smith
  • Anne Tolley
  • Housing
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that a Bill which expands Extended Supervision Orders (ESOs) for child sex offenders beyond the current maximum ten-year time frame has passed its first reading in Parliament.

Under the Parole (Extended Supervision Orders) Amendment Bill, ESOs will be able to be renewed for as long as they are needed, with regular mandatory review by the courts.

It will also allow ESOs to be extended to include the management of high risk adult sex offenders and very high risk violent offenders.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

A cross-government approach to prevent family violence proposes new Justice sector initiatives to keep women and children safe, Justice Minister Judith Collins and Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley announced today.

“The high rate of family violence in New Zealand is unacceptable – too many domestic violence victims continue to be re-victimised even when a protection order is in place,” Ms Collins says.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Judith Collins
  • Police
  • Justice
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says the sea change in the Government’s approach to offender rehabilitation is continuing to show extremely positive results.

The rate of offenders returning to prison within a year of release has dropped by a total of 4 per cent since June 2011, with a 3 per cent drop in the last year.

“This shows that our unprecedented increase in rehabilitation support for prisoners is starting to make a real difference, in an area in which it is notoriously difficult to have any impact,” says Mrs Tolley.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Budget 2014 builds on the successful results of recent years in reducing crime and reoffending to ensure there are fewer victims of crime, Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says.

“Police and Corrections will continue to target their resources to prevent crime and address the drivers of crime to make our communities safer,” she says.

“Both organisations have delivered fantastic results and I am confident that great gains will continue to be made as a result of this smarter approach.”

  • Anne Tolley
  • Police
  • Corrections
  • Budget 2014

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has marked the $22 million redevelopment at Whanganui Prison with the official opening of the revamped administration building and the start of upgrades to the prison’s East and West wings.

The work is part of upgrades to six prisons around the country costing $87 million.

The administration building includes a new Audio Visual Link (AVL) facility which removes any risks associated with prisoner transport by allowing prisoners to make court appearances without leaving the secure facility.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Courts Minister Chester Borrows today welcomed the addition of the Whangarei, Nelson and Hutt Valley courts to the audio visual link (AVL) network connecting courts and prisons.

The new links are the latest in a $27.8 million upgrade programme, which is expanding AVL links to a total of 18 courts and 13 prisons by 2015.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Anne Tolley
  • Courts
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has officially opened the Lower Hutt Community Corrections site, which has been refurbished at a total cost of $957,000.

The site now provides a safer environment for staff, as they support offenders to comply with sentences and order conditions.

“The probation staff at this site play an important role in helping keep the community safe and in helping us reduce reoffending,” says Mrs Tolley.

“The new design will allow officers to deliver better results in a safer workplace.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has taken part in a sod-turning ceremony at Invercargill Prison to mark the start of a $17.9 million construction upgrade.

The building work will improve safety and security at the prison, while providing better rehabilitation and training facilities for prisoners.

Five other prisons across the country are also being upgraded at a total cost of $87 million.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says the Government is now over half way to achieving the Better Public Service target of a 25 per cent reduction in reoffending by 2017.

Reoffending has fallen by 12.6 per cent against the June 2011 benchmark, resulting in 2,319 fewer offenders and 9,276 fewer victims of crime each year.

“These figures are extremely encouraging, and combined with a 17.4 per cent drop in recorded crimes over the last three years it shows our communities are safer,” says Mrs Tolley.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says prisoner access to literacy and numeracy programmes has received massive boosts since 2008, alongside huge increases in prisoners earning qualifications.

Almost 3,000 prisoners will start literacy and numeracy programmes this financial year, a rise of 155 per cent compared to 2007/8.

The number of prisoners gaining qualifications has increased by 830 per cent, up from 197 in 2008/9 to 1,833 in 2012/13. The total number of qualifications gained by prisoners in 2012/13 was 3,160. 

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says a new and comprehensive domestic violence programme is to be introduced for community offenders to help reduce reoffending and prevent family members from being re-victimised.

Domestic violence offenders in the community will take part in 26 sessions over 60 hours, with a focus on minimising the harm caused by drug and alcohol misuse, improving relationship and parenting skills, and managing emotions and attitudes.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says there has been a rise of almost 1500 per cent in places on drug and alcohol treatment programmes for prisoners since 2008.

This financial year over 3,700 prisoners will have access to treatment for their addictions, rising to 4,700 next year, up from just 234 in 2007/08.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says work is under way on a $5.6 million upgrade at Hawkes Bay prison, which will significantly improve security and safety.

A new Audio Visual Link (AVL) building will allow prisoners to make ‘virtual’ court appearances without the security risk or expense of having to transport offenders outside the wire.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says a new reintegration service in the Rotorua district will help reduce reoffending by providing post-release support for prisoners so they can stay crime-free.

Starting this month, Healthcare of New Zealand will work with up to 45 prisoners each year who are being released on conditions or on parole in Rotorua, Tokoroa and Taupo, and who would previously have had no access to support.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that a decrease in prisoner escapes is leading to increased public safety.

There was a record low in the last financial year of one escape from custody, while in the 2013/14 year to date there have been no escapes.

In total, between 2002/03 to 2007/08 there were 131 escapes from custody, compared to 35 from 2008/09 to the present day.

“Our Corrections officers deal with volatile and often dangerous criminals every day,” says Mrs Tolley.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that New Zealand’s first three working prisons are making excellent progress in giving offenders structured education and skills training alongside work experience for at least forty hours per week, to support rehabilitation and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

90 per cent of eligible prisoners at Rolleston, Auckland Women’s and Tongariro/Rangipo Prisons are now engaged for the full 40 hours each week, which will rise to 100 per cent by June.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that legislation is to be introduced which will allow Extended Supervision Orders (ESOs) for child sex offenders to be expanded beyond their current maximum ten-year time frame for those who pose a high risk of serious reoffending.

ESOs will also be extended to include the management of high risk sex offenders and very high risk violent offenders.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Courts Minister Chester Borrows today welcomed the new audio visual link (AVL) connection linking New Plymouth Court with Whanganui Prison.

The new link is the first in a $27.8 million upgrade programme, which is expanding AVL links from the current four courts and four prisons to a total of 18 courts and 13 prisons by 2015.

Mrs Tolley says around 40,000 remand court appearances are made each year nationwide, and AVL will be used for more and more of those appearances as the rollout continues.

  • Chester Borrows
  • Anne Tolley
  • Courts
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that offenders have clocked up over a million hours in unpaid community work so far in the fiscal year, to pay something back for the crimes they have committed.

Every week offenders across New Zealand are engaged in activities ranging from cleaning up graffiti, to gardening, painting and clearing rubbish.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that building work is on schedule for the 29 buildings on the site of the new prison at Wiri in South Auckland.

Work is due to be completed on the new cell blocks, training, education and health buildings by early 2015, for the new 960-bed men’s prison.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that communities are safer, and high-risk offenders are being held to account, following the introduction of 24-hour GPS monitoring.

Ankle bracelets are used to track the real-time movements of offenders, which send an alert if the criminal strays into an area which they have been excluded from, such as parks and schools, or from locations near victims.

  • Anne Tolley
  • Corrections