Kim WorkmanDirector Rethinking Crime and Punishment

Loving the Prisoner – What Should Christians Do?

2011 - Prison as Fiscal and Moral Failure

“Prisons are a fiscal and moral failure and building more of them on a large scale is something no New Zealander wants to see”

Hon Bill English, Families Commission

50 Critical Thinkers Forum . 10 May 2011

The sector spends a lot and has increased rapidly

Source: Treasury

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 -

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

Justice and Courts Police Corrections Attorney-General Serious Fraud

$000

Bas

e Ye

ar 2

010

Real expenditure, Justice sector Votes

The prison population has grown

Source: Corrections Annual Reports

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Total average number of sentenced prisoners

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

Total average number of remand prisoners

Sentence lengths have increased...

30/06

/1980

31/03

/1981

31/12

/1981

30/09

/1982

30/06

/1983

31/03

/1984

31/12

/1984

30/09

/1985

30/06

/1986

31/03

/1987

31/12

/1987

30/09

/1988

30/06

/1989

31/03

/1990

31/12

/1990

30/09

/1991

30/06

/1992

31/03

/1993

31/12

/1993

30/09

/1994

30/06

/1995

31/03

/1996

31/12

/1996

30/09

/1997

30/06

/1998

31/03

/1999

31/12

/1999

30/09

/2000

30/06

/2001

31/03

/2002

31/12

/2002

30/09

/2003

30/06

/2004

31/03

/2005

31/12

/2005

30/09

/2006

30/06

/2007

31/03

/2008

31/12

/2008

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

Indeterminate (Life/ Preventive Detention)

Long term (>2 years imposed)

Short term (<=2 years imposed)

Balance date

Pris

on s

ente

nced

offe

nder

s at

bal

ance

dat

e

Prison sentenced snapshot by management category

Source: Offender Volumes Report 2009, Department of Corrections

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Long TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong TermLong Term

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison timeShort term with

sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison timeShort term with

sentenced prison timeShort term with

sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term with sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison timeShort term imposed but no

actual sentenced prison timeShort term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison timeShort term imposed but no

actual sentenced prison timeShort term imposed but no

actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Short term imposed but no actual sentenced prison time

Financial year

Sta

cked

are

a gr

aph

of p

rison

sen

tenc

ed e

piso

de s

tarts

per

yea

r

Prison sentenced period starts by management category

...yet short sentences dominate prison throughput

Source: Offender Volumes Report 2009, Department of Corrections

Increasing interventionism coincides with slightly reduced crime in the past decade

Source: New Zealand Crime Statistics 2009/10, Police

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Total recorded crime in NZ (per 10,000 population)

all this activity has not reduced recidivism

Source: Corrections, Annual Report 2009/10 and 2004/5

Recidivism Index

Released from prison -> reconvicted

Started a community sentence -> reconvicted

12 month follow up

47.5% 32.8%

12 month follow up for Maori

52.2% 37.2%

24 month follow up

61.9% 46.5%

24 month follow up for Maori

68.2% 51.5%

Recidivism Index

Released from prison -> reconvicted

Started a community sentence -> reconvicted

12 month follow up

42.6% 29.2%

12 month follow up for Maori

47.0% 33.0%

24 month follow up

55.4% 40.2%

24 month follow up for Maori

61.1% 45.6%

2004/05 2009/10

The outlook: prison population is forecast to continue to rise...

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

Sentenced prisoners

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Remand prisoners

Source: Department of Corrections Annual Reports / Ministry of Justice: Justice Sector Forecast 2010 - 2020

Order Country Rate1 United States of America 74330 South Africa 31947 Singapore 26566 New Zealand 19289 United Kingdom: England & Wales 15389 United Kingdom: Scotland 153109 Australia 133127 Canada 117132 Italy 111137 France 102141 Ireland, Republic of 99145 Netherlands 94150 United Kingdom: Northern Ireland 90157 Germany 85162 Switzerland 79163 Sweden 78184 Iceland 60186 Finland 59

Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Hebrews 13:3

‘‘A society can control effectively only those who perceive themselves to be members of it’’

Leslie Wilkins (1971)

Prisoner Reintegration

• Community attachment and informal control mechanism are interrupted by imprisonment

• Reengagement with the community is a major challenge

• Released offenders pose potential risks of community safety – how is that best managed?

Prisoner Reintegration

• Longer sentences and fewer rehabilitation programmes leave offenders with few skills, resources, and structural supports to reintegrate successfully

• USA: 650, 000 leave prisons every year - 52% back in prison after 3 years

• NZ: – 20,000 complete prison sentences every year - 37.9%

back in prison after two years, (Maori 43%)– 61.9% reoffend after two years (Maori 68%)

Prisoner Reintegration

USA – Formal reintegration programme since 2001

Initial approach – Federal government brought together key agencies to address re-entry – assess needs prior to release, and provide support after release.

• Funding used to add community transition services to correctional settings – develop reintegration plans for prisoners.

New Zealand 2004 Reintegration Policy

• Similar Approach to USA

• Risk and needs based

• Sentence plan - risks and needs

• Target high risk offenders and youth

• Probation monitor - stick and carrot

Ohio and Vermont

• Expanding corrections infrastructure not way to tackle prisoner re-entry

• Funded Community Justice and other providers to take responsibility

• Offender reentry as ‘’civic engagement’

• Assumption - Communities should determine how issues with released prisoners should be dealt with

Ohio and Vermont

• Funded Community Justice Centres and existing providers

• Secure housing

• Access Drug treatment

• Pro-social opportunities for recreation, interaction and community engagement

Reintegration as Civic Engagement

Preserve public safety by monitoring and engaging with returning offenders, by:

• Helping offenders to develop pro-social identities

• Changing the community’s image of such persons, and

• Marshalling ‘‘community capacity’’ to supply emotional support and concrete help

Reintegration as Civic Engagement

Position strategy within an evidence-based framework

• Identity Transformation Research” (Micro-level)

• Life Course Research (Meso level)

• Community level research (Macro level)

The Strategy

Provide ways for returning offenders to create new identities by:

• Intermingling with pro-social individuals

• Performing valuable services

• Establishing informal social control

• Move from a retributive culture to an inclusive and restorative one

The Experience

• Need to alter stigmatised identity– The offender’s sense of self– The community’s perspective of the offender– Offender needs intensive support and services – but that’s not all

• Opportunities to forge a new identity – engagement in new ‘pro-social ‘ roles

• Not about change – it’s about exchange

• The community must marshal its ”social capital’ to Develop shared norms and values

• Build relationships of trust and reciprocity

Formality of Engagement

• Transitional Housing

• Community Panels

• Mentoring

• Circles of Support and Accountability

Conclusion:

The more bureaucratic – the more formality

Social Distance

• Transitional Housing - Doing things to people

• Community Panels - Doing things for people

• Mentoring - Doing things with people

• Circles of Support and Accountability - People mostly doing it for themselves

Conclusion • The more professional – the greater the social distance

• The closer the distance – the more likely to have shared values

In Summary:

• Movement away from control and needs based approach

• Movement towards a ‘strength-based” narrative

• “Earned redemption” i.e. earning communal trust through service and reparation of harm

• Offenders as collaborators in helping communities (rather than receivers of assistance)

• Genuine community inclusion

Breaking Down Social Distance

• Collective ownership of crime and quality-of-life problems in a community

• Punitive public attitudes and sensibilities have a negative impact on successful reintegration

• Repairing the social contract

The Challenge for the Church

Behave – Believe – Belong

OR

Belong – Believe – Behave

The Challenge for Christians

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

16 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17  17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2: 15 - 17

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Kim WorkmanDirector Rethinking Crime and Punishment

Loving the Prisoner