Closure of Faith-based Prison Unit signals a new direction for Prison Fellowship

“Prison Fellowship are fortunate to be working with the Department of Corrections at a time when there has been a radical shift in the way it treats service providers and contractors”. said Kim Workman, Director of Rethinking Crime and Punishment, who was responsible for the establishment of the faith based unit at Rimutaka Prison in 2003. The unit is to close next month.

“Corrections management have recognised that the staff and volunteers involved in working within the faith unit for the last eight years have accumulated a lot of understanding and knowledge about prisoners and reintegration. It has undertaken to work with Prison Fellowship in using that capability within the prison system. Ray Smith, more than any other Corrections CEO of recent times, understands the importance of positive collaboration with volunteers, community organisations and providers. Effective prisoner reintegration and continued desistance from crime, doesn’t happen within the prison – whanau, families and communities are the most powerful transformative influences in an offender’s life.

“There were a lot of valuable lessons learnt from the establishment of the faith based unit – lessons which I know Prison Fellowship will take into the future. Perhaps the most valuable lesson is that when it takes seven years (from 1995 to 2002) to persuade the department that a unit of that kind is a good idea, make sure you have plenty of champions within the organisation to carry the kaupapa for you. Secondly, when you are dealing with a new and innovative approach, and one which falls outside orthodox thinking, insist that any service contract requires the department to commit to a comprehensive and fully funded programme of evaluation and continual improvement, on a basis of equal partnership.”

“The introduction of a faith based unit was a good idea, but sat uncomfortably within the Corrections culture of the time. Faith based units, more commonly known today as ‘Communities of Restoration’ continue to grow internationally, with units currently operating in Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Singapore and the USA”.

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