13 December 2021
C141864
M Taylor
[FYI request #16903 email]
Tēnā koe M Taylor
Thank you for your email dated 27 September 2021, to the Department of Corrections
– Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Corrections), requesting information about Kia Marama and
Te Piriti Special Treatment Units (STUs) and the Te Korowai unit in Wellington. Your
request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
Safety and wellbeing are Corrections’ top priorities and substantial effort goes into the
safe management and rehabilitation of people convicted of child sex offences.
Corrections does not determine who is in prison and who is in the community.
Corrections also does not determine whether a person receives a sentence of
imprisonment or a community-based sentence following a conviction, such as Home
Detention. These decisions are made by the courts or New Zealand Parole Board.
The STUs for child sex offending are delivered by Psychological Services and are
located at two prisons for men: Kia Marama at Rolleston Prison and Te Piriti at
Auckland Prison. The programme is an intensive group-based intervention. The first
phase of the programme involves the development of insight into offence related
patterns of thinking and behaviour that contributed to offending, while the second
phase focuses on skill development to manage future risk of reoffending.
In addition to the two STUs, there is also a Short Intervention Programme (SIP) for
child sex offenders. SIP is a 12-week intervention for low risk child sex offenders and
is based in the prison. Corrections also has contracts with three external community
providers to deliver assessment and treatment for individuals who have been
convicted of a sexual offence against a child (victim aged under 16 years). This service
is funded for those at low or moderate-low risk of sexually re-offending and serving a
community-based sentence.
Te Korowai is an 11-bed residence on the grounds of Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt.
Its purpose is to provide transitional accommodation for high-risk child sex offenders
subject to Extended Supervision Orders (ESOs) who have been residing in the
community but have no accommodation and have exhausted all previous
accommodation options. Men can be supported at Te Korowai for the short to medium
term whilst they are working towards finding accommodation elsewhere in the
community. Te Korowai provides 24 hour a day staffing and oversight of the residents.
NATIONAL OFFICE, WELLINGTON
Mayfair House, 44 – 52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140,
Phone +64 4 460 3000
www.corrections.govt.nz
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In cases where someone transfers to Te Korowai from another district, it is expected
that the sending district will continue actively working on transitioning them back to
their community.
For ease of response, I will respond to each of your questions individually.
1 : How many people are wait listed to attend each program?
As at 5 November 2021, nationally there are 393 people who have been identified to
be assessed for the high-intensity child sex offending programmes available at
Kia Marama and Te Piriti STUs.
People can be assessed but later found not suitable to attend a STU programme. This
may be due to their type or frequency of offending, assessed level of risk, or attitude
to treatment. It may also be due to practical issues such as security classification not
allowing them to transfer to the prison that offers the programme, or they are attending
other programmes or treatment prior to engagement in these programmes. This can
cause temporary delays to acceptance into treatment.
2 : What is the criteria that decides which unit an offender attends and when?
The eligibility criteria for the STU for men with sexual offending against children is as
follows:
• aged 20 years or older (those aged 18 – 19 can be assessed on a case-by-
case basis);
• male (or in a Men’s Prison);
• at least one conviction for a child sex offence or offences related to child sexual
abuse images (index or prior history);
• assessed as at least moderate-high risk of reoffending or as requiring high
intensity treatment (e.g., ASRS-R score of 2 or higher or through psychological
assessment/over-ride);
• all men with relevant convictions on indeterminate sentences (i.e. life or
preventive detention) should be automatically waitlisted regardless of their
RoC*RoI or ASRS-R;
• their security classification is Minimum to Low-Medium; and
• their prison sentence is more than two years.
Generally, the decision on which unit a person will attend is determined by their
geographical location at the time of sentencing, as this is usually reflective of a
person’s home region and where they will return on release from prison. A person may
be placed at a different STU, to allow for reintegration planning better suited to them,
and a more appropriate location for whānau support. Irrespective of where men are
throughout New Zealand, reintegration coordinators manage their reintegration
planning based on their home region.
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3 :How many people are currently attending these treatment programs and
please provide a breakdown by ethnicity
The below table provides the number of people, as at 8 October 2021, attending the
two specific STUs, broken down by programme, ethnicity, and prison. All ethnicity
information is self-reported by people upon their arrival in prison and this is not
validated by Corrections. People in prison can identify with multiple ethnicities. The
information provided is based on their primary ethnicity.
AUCKLAND PRISON ROLLESTON PRISON TOTAL
STU- Child Sexual Offending
Māori
6
13
19
European
16
31
47
Pacific
3
4
7
Other (incl. Asian)
1
0
1
Grand Total
26
48
74
4 :How many people have been involuntarily exited from these programs for
years 2019 to 2021 and for what reasons. Please also provide a breakdown of
ethnicity of failed participants.
The below table provides the number of individuals involuntarily exited from
Kia Marama and Te Piriti, broken down by reason and financial year.
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
Behaviour
3
3
3
Changed groups
1
0
2
Lack of progress
0
1
0
Not suitable / Criteria
6
2
1
Grand Total
10
6
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The below table provides a breakdown of ethnicity and financial year of people that
involuntarily exited Kia Marama and Te Piriti.
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
Māori
6
3
0
European
4
2
4
Pacific
0
1
2
Grand Total
10
6
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5 : How many people have voluntarily exited from these programs for years
2019 to 2021
The below table provides the number of people who self-exited from the programme.
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
Self-exit
1
1
3
4
6 : How many people are currently attending post programme treatment
“graduates”?
As at 5 November 2021, in Kia Marama there are 28 people who have completed the
core treatment programme and are in what is known as the treatment maintenance
phase. Te Piriti has had 22 graduates from the programme in the unit.
During the treatment maintenance phase, the men are continuing to work on their
outstanding treatment goals, ensuring that they are prepared for release. This includes
attending reintegration meetings and they are often employed in the prison
employment industries, such as the construction yard and nursery where they may
complete relevant qualifications to assist in skill development for future employment.
7 : How often are these programmes audited and when was the last one
undertaken?
Integrity monitoring is part of the ongoing process of formal monitoring and a second
line of assurance process to the clinical governance of the STUs. Kia Marama was
last audited in July 2021 and Te Piriti was in April 2021.
8 : How much more effective are these programmes compared to 1 on 1
psychological services?
No specific research has been conducted comparing the effectiveness of these
programmes compared to one-on-one psychological services. Therefore, this request
is declined under section 18(g) of the OIA, as the information requested is not held by
Corrections and we have no grounds for believing that the information is either held
by or connected more closely with the functions of another department.
The impact of STUs on reducing re-offending through the Rehabilitation Quotient is
also reported each year in our Annual Report. These reports are available on our
website here:
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/strategic_reports/annual-
reports Overall, the results show that Special Treatment Units are worthwhile investments to
protect the potential victims of sexual offending and to reduce the social and economic
costs associated with reoffending.
9 : What percentage of offenders are transferred away from their region to
attend?
Corrections recognises the value of ensuring people in prison are able to access
support from their whānau and wider support networks in their home regions. When
people are transferred away from their home region to complete an STU, they are
strongly encouraged to maintain contact with their families. Adult members of whānau
are also invited to attend family days and group welcomes at the start of treatment to
learn more about the programmes and how best they can provide support. A critical
component of the STU programmes involves the development of robust release plans.
To that end, reintegration coordinators facilitate whānau hui with family, professionals,
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and relevant external agencies to ensure a smooth transition from prison to the
community. It is important that men who have completed high intensity treatment are
returned to the areas where they have natural systems of support.
In order to identify how many people were transferred away from their region to attend
Kia Marama or Te Piriti, Corrections’ staff would be required to manually review every
person’s file since Kia Marama opened in 1989 and since Te Piriti opened in 1994.
Therefore, this part of your request is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the
information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation. Under
section 18(A)(1) of the OIA, we have also considered whether fixing a charge or
extending the time limit would allow us to respond, however, we do not believe it to be
a good use of our publicly funded resources.
10 : How many offenders complete the programme and are then subject to an
Extended Supervision Order?
The table below shows the number of people who completed either Kia Marama or
Te Piriti programme during a prison sentence directly before starting an ESO. The
year provided is the year the ESO started.
STU - Child Sex Offending
2018-2019
7
2019-2020
12
2020-2021
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11 : How many complaints were made against staff at Kia Marama and Te Piriti
in the years 2019 to 2021?
We have identified two complaints against staff during 2019 to 2021.
Note that people can make complaints related to the Corrections systems through
many channels. As such, the question has been addressed to the best of our ability
using information from our centrally collated records.
Questions regarding post incarceration ;
12: What is the current occupancy of ‘Te Korowai’ unit in Wellington?
As at 8 December 2021, there are 11 beds at Te Korowai, and ten of those beds have
been occupied. The remaining three beds have been allocated to individuals currently
in custody.
13 : Is there are wait list for placement at Te Korowai? If so, how many people
are wait listed
As at 8 December 2021, there are five people whose referrals have been accepted
into Te Korowai but are still in custody. One further referral is pending.
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14 : What is the criteria that determines whether an ex-prisoner can be housed
at Te Korowai?
The current eligibility criteria are that the person must:
• be male;
• be subject to an ESO for child sex offending;
• have exhausted all other available accommodation options and have been
assessed as able to live in a setting where they will interact with several other
residents.
15 : What is the average length of time of residency at Te Korowai?
As at 4 October 2021, the average time for current residents at Te Korowai is 454
nights.
As above, men can be supported at Te Korowai for the short to medium term whilst
they are working towards finding accommodation elsewhere in the community.
16 : Give the current housing crisis in Aotearoa, does Corrections have a plan
going forward to address the shortage of housing for child sex offenders?
Finding stable accommodation for people who have committed sexual offences
against children is one of our biggest challenges. We acknowledge the location of
these people can be a concern for communities. We work hard to balance this concern
with our obligation to safely manage people who can no longer lawfully be detained in
prison.
We carry out an extensive and robust process to assess the suitability of every address
proposed, and a range of factors are considered. This includes the location of victims,
proximity to places designed for children, physical factors such as shared access,
location of support services, and the ability to ensure a clear GPS signal at all times.
Corrections currently provides 143 beds in the community and on prison land for
people who have offended against children. Corrections actively works with Kāinga
Ora, other Government agencies, Iwi, and other Non-Government Organisations to
provide support, find suitable properties for the people Corrections’ manages, and to
deliver services. Corrections is looking for additional suitable properties to expand its
services in communities.
In addition to accommodation, Corrections provides 24/7 wrap-around support to
people who have offending against children and remain on a sentence or order that
we administer.
As noted above, there are two STUs in New Zealand, specialising in treating men who
have been convicted of harmful sexual behaviour against children. They are assisted
by reintegration co-ordinators who work with participants in the programme to develop
robust reintegration plans, including securing accommodation for when they are
released back into the community. The reintegration coordinators work alongside the
psychologists who deliver the treatment programme, as well as with individuals’
families, whānau or friends. The work of a reintegration coordinator includes working
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with a wide variety of agencies across the country. It also requires a sound knowledge
around the treatment and community management of men who have committed sex
offences against children.
Typically, when forming a release plan for a person convicted of offending against
children, reintegration coordinators will check whether they have any whānau or
community support already in the community. If they do, and their supports are also
able to help provide accommodation or assist in finding accommodation, this is
followed up to assess for suitability. If support people are offering to assist in locating
a potential address on release, the reintegration coordinators will support and educate
them around what to look for when they are looking for suitable accommodation for
the person concerned. Once an address is found, they will advise colleagues in the
specific region’s community engagement and reintegration area as well as probation
so that they can canvass the suitability of the address in a timely manner.
Alternatively, if support people are unable to provide or help with accommodation, or
a person does not have any support in the community, and/or unable to return to the
region they came from, the reintegration coordinator will liaise with the community
engagement and reintegration teams across the country to determine the most
appropriate supported accommodation services that may be suitable for them. These
services (e.g Salvation Army Supported Accommodation or Prisoners Aid and
Rehabilitation Societies) often provide a set period of accommodation (three to six
months) and reintegration support for a further nine months. Any accommodation for
men after their time with the supported accommodation will be overseen by their
probation officer as all addresses for men with these types of convictions need to be
approved.
Not all people who have a conviction for child sex offences will have a reintegration
co-ordinator or psychologist. Those people have a case manager who completes their
release planning and holds Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings.
I encourage you to raise any concerns about this response with Corrections.
Alternatively, you are advised of your right to also raise any concerns with the Office
of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152,
Wellington 6143.
I trust the information provided is of assistance.
Ngā mihi
Topia Rameka
Deputy Chief Executive Maori
