22876 (2025). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Corrections

22876 (2025). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Corrections: Further to response 19522 (2025), what are the other rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for young offenders that remain including who provides them, where, and how many young offenders were involved over the last 6 quarters to 31 March 2025?

Hon Mark Mitchell: I am advised that Corrections manages around 10,700 people in prison and 26,000 people in the community at any given time. The type of people Corrections manages has changed significantly over the past 10 years, and the offender population contains a growing number of violent prisoners, and people with more complex mental health and addiction issues. Corrections also manages an increasing number of people on remand and must focus on providing them with the skills and support they need to safely and successfully reintegrate back into our communities on release.  I am further advised that the number of young people in prison has significantly reduced over the last few decades. The December 2022 Justice Sector Long-Term Insights Briefing identified that in 1980, 29 percent of the prison population was under 20 years old compared to one percent in 2022, and also one percent as at 30 April 2025. In 1980, 64 percent of the prison population was under the age of 25 compared to ten percent in 2022, and nine percent as at 30 April 2025. I am further advised that Corrections provides a wide range of services to support the reintegration and rehabilitation of all people in prison and people serving community-based sentences. For example, there is no age restriction on eligibility criteria for Kōwhiritanga and the Short Rehabilitation Programme for Women. The age criteria for men (Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme, Short Rehabilitation Programme for Men, Saili Matagi, Short Violence Prevention Programme, Special Treatment Unit programmes) and programmes for higher-risk women (Kimihia) is 20 years and above. Those aged 18/19 who are eligible for a psychology programme can be considered on a case-by-case basis. Mauri Tū Pae and Non-Violence Programmes are externally contracted programmes and consider the eligibility of women and men from 18 years and above. Programme staff consider age alongside other factors when delivering programmes to ensure they are responsive and meet the person’s specific needs. Corrections also has dedicated youth units at Christchurch Men’s Prison and Manawatū Prison which provide an age-appropriate, structured environment for young prisoners. In addition to the Youth Units, I am advised that Corrections’ Psychological Services also offer a Young Adults Intervention, which is designed to be delivered on an individual or small group basis for those not eligible for other high intensity programmes. Psychological Services may also provide individual sessions to participants of programmes (including young adults) as clinically indicated. I am further advised that Corrections partners with a range of providers to deliver supported accommodation and reintegration programmes for people who have been released from prison and works with all providers to ensure these programmes can be tailored to the specific needs of young people. People 25 years and under have access to the same reintegration services as people over the age of 25, such as supported accommodation services, navigational support and other reintegration support services, including Out of Gate, Tiaki Tangata, PARS reintegration services, Remand Reintegration Programmes, Te Pikinga, Mothers with Babies support services, Literacy and Numeracy support services, TEC delivery, Self-directed learning, secure online learning, Industry qualification training, vocational short course training, This Way for Work (employment service), and skills for life courses. I am further advised that to respond to your question as it is currently framed would amount to substantial collation and manual analysis to answer, which I am not prepared to ask of my officials for the purposes of this response.