Prison Management Reviewed
A review of prison management laws covers the daily management of prisons, including the rules for prison visits and the day release of prisoners for work. Part of that review is a public discussion paper called 'Better Corrections Law for NZ'. Legislation is expected to be introduced early next year.
Wider issues covered in the consultation include the purposes and principles behind corrections laws, and the way offenders are managed. Specific areas looked at include:
- the role of temporary work release for inmates. At present, some inmates can be released from prison to go to work, returning to jail at night, with their wages used to compensate victims. The law doesn't currently set out the purpose of temporary release, and it doesn't say who is eligible or the maximum length of release;
- what access prisoners should have to phones and mail;
- what weapons and holds are appropriate to restrain offenders, especially when new technology such as disorienting laser beams are becoming available;
- the way offences against prison discipline are dealt with (at present visitors to prison face a maximum fine of $2,000 or 3 months jail for offences such as trying to bring in drugs, and the consultation asks whether those penalties are sufficient); and
- the way corrections laws can help to reduce offending by promoting the rehabilitation of offenders and their re-integration into the community.
| Submissions close on Monday, 18 June 2001. Copies of the discussion document are available from the Corrections Department, phone toll-free on 0800 004 326. The full document is also available on the Department's website at www.corrections.govt.nz |
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