Mt Eden prison events show prisoners need better access to drug and alcohol treatment

National Committee for Addiction Treatment media release, 24 July 2015

Serco has been fined $300,000 in the last year for breaching its contract with the Government, the Corrections Minister revealed yesterday afternoon.

The breaches at Mt Eden Correctional Facility for the 2014/15 financial year included understaffing, mixing remand prisoners with other prisoners, failing to give "minimum entitlements" and not giving adequate notification about incidents.

It is still too early to evaluate the true facts around events which have emerged over the last week, which included allegations of "fight clubs" and drug use.

Many inmates have alcohol and drug problems and often this is related directly to the reason they find themselves in prison.

The Courts are acutely aware of the role that drugs and alcohol play in re-offending. They rightfully demand that these offenders engage in rehabilitation and that treatment is available in prison to support them.

The Government is committed to reduce re –offending by 25% by 2017 for youth and 20% for adult offenders. Providing alcohol and drug rehabilitation programmes to offenders in prison or on a community sentence is a key strategy to achieve this.

Each year approximately 37,500 New Zealanders are treated by Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Services for alcohol and drug abuse.

At least one third of these New Zealanders are referred by Serco, NZ Prison Service, Community Probation Service, NZ Police, District and Drug Courts, or Child Youth and Family Services.

In Auckland these services are provided by Odyssey House Trust, Salvation Army, CARENZ, Community Alcohol and Drug Services, Higher Ground, Wings Trust, and others.

These services are provided in prison (Drug Treatment Units or group based programmes for inmates) or in local communities (residential rehabilitation programmes as well as community group based programmes).

In addition self-help groups like Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous provide support in prisons facilities.

The events this week in Serco run Mt Eden Correctional Facilities focus on the need to strengthen rehabilitation efforts in prisons.

The National Committee for Addiction Treatment calls for better access to addiction treatment for prison inmates.

This can be improved by strengthening the relationships between rehabilitation services and the public/private prison system. Operational issues in prisons often take precedent over rehabilitation and provide barriers for successful engagement of inmates. Better rehab in prison requires long term relationships between the rehabilitation sector and the prison system. It takes a commitment to reach all addicted inmates before they are released.

Supporting inmates into recovery from addiction reduces family violence, re- offending, and helps them to find a job once released. It breaks the cycle of violence, welfare dependency, poverty, and offending.

On the day of the inmate’s release it is in all New Zealanders interest he or she completed a rehab programme. Many inmates, given an opportunity, do recover, are able to maintain responsible lifestyles and want to support their families.

The National Committee for Addiction Treatment is particularly concerned about inmates 19 and younger. The Committee calls for a strong focus to engage these young offenders into rehab and divert them from a career in offending and a gang dominated life style.

The National Committee for Addiction Treatment (NCAT) is the national voice of the addiction treatment sector. The membership reflects the diversity of the sector and includes representation from the broad constituency involved in treating alcohol, drug and gambling addictions.

http://ncat.org.nz/

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