1. The Inspectorate’s report on the treatment of young people in our prisons is alarming. At a time when youth offending and imprisonment is decreasing, the care and support for those young people – over half of them on remand – has also reduced.
2. The report details that many young people in prison (defined as under the age of 24) have unmet complex needs. The Inspector found that Corrections understands what is needed, but lacks the leadership, investment and oversight to provide services to young people to meet those needs. “Corrections knows that wraparound services, counselling, continuity of care from other services and cultural reconnection could make a huge difference – but none of that is happening” says lawyer Amanda Hill. “Together with the failure to provide sufficient rehabilitation or reintegration services, it is a missed opportunity to create real change for young people”.
3. Barrister Emma Priest commented: “Research is clear that young brains do not finish developing until a person turns 25. The support and services provided to young people in prison can be the difference between setting them up for a pro-social life in the community or becoming a long-term prisoner”. Youth prisoners told the Inspector that they wanted help with basic life-skills to cope when they leave prison, as well as to form healthy relationships with family, whānau and partners. For many young adults, having a positive sense of identity and belonging grounded in cultural connections was important to them. This was particularly so for rangatahi Māori.
4. Many of the young adults interviewed were parents. “Young parents in prison want their children to be safe and thriving. They want the opportunity to be good parents and role models in their children’s lives. Having little or no meaningful contact with their children cements intergenerational trauma, something we see repeatedly through the Courts.” said Priest.
5. Most of the people spoken to had little help to address impulsive or disruptive behaviours or to progress their learning, rehabilitation or reintegration, and they did not feel equipped to safely return to the community. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, ADHD and other intellectual deficits were all high in this cohort. “Young people do not have these disabilities by choice, and they need specific help to learn to overcome them” says Priest.
6. There are now fewer specialist youth units and safe places for younger people in the prison system. “The reduction in youth units over time has meant that young people are either mixed with mainstream, adult prisoners, or are segregated and isolated for their own safety” says Hill. “The complete lack of any youth justice facilities for young female inmates is particularly concerning” says Priest.
7. “Mixing young people and adults results in many young people being recruited into gangs to keep safe from violence and intimidation” Hill says. Mainstream prison units are the single biggest recruitment centres for gangs in New Zealand. Keeping young people away from mainstream units is key to keeping them away from gangs” says Hill.
8. “The lack of youth units is a complete barrier to diverting young people out of the justice system. Our international legal obligations require young offenders to be kept separate from mainstream offenders. However, this must be balanced. Segregating and isolating youth can also be incredibly harmful” says Priest. “If a young person is placed in a high security unit, they can spend up to 22 hours a day locked in their cell. This is damaging for any adult, but it will have a lifelong traumatic impact on a young person with a developing brain”.
9. “There is a critical opportunity for Corrections to intervene in the lives of youth prisoners and turn them around. By not doing that, the State is not only failing these young people that desperately need help, but also failing in their obligations to the wider community.” says Priest.

Amanda Hill, Barrister and Solicitor
Emma Priest, Barrister, Augusta Chambers

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