The public get to have their say on the Waitangi Tribunal case against Corrections

Media release: 25/07/16

This Wednesday the public have the chance to discuss the crisis of mass imprisonment, and its disproportionate impact on Māori, with leading experts Moana Jackson and Kim Workman at Wellington Cathedral at 6pm.

Today the Waitangi Tribunal case against the department of Corrections for the high Māori reoffending rate begins. Māori are nearly six times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Māori. Yet the Department of Corrections does not even have a current Māori responsiveness strategy. The Tribunal case will look at whether the Department of Corrections actions or inactions are fuelling this issue.

As a nation we are facing a crisis of mass imprisonment as we hurtle towards 10,000 people in prison each day. The Government is burying its head in the sand assuming that a rise in prison numbers is inevitable and investing millions of extra dollars into growing our prisons. Just imagine what we could do if that money was put into communities rather than being the only housing strategy that the Government are investing heavily in.

Moana Jackson and Kim Workman will draw on their vast experience and recent research to challenge this inevitability. Dr Kim Workman will talk about how reducing imprisonment would actually reduce crime- not just in theory but in practice using examples from around the world.

"Reducing prison numbers by 25% would not only be a more achievable goal than reducing reoffending by 25% - it would have greater benefits for communities. We need to recognise that prison is also a cause of crime" says Dr Kim Workman.

Moana Jackson will speak publicly for the first time about whether we even need prisons at all and the need to open up our imaginations when it comes to criminal justice. The event will be facilitated by JustSpeak Chair Julia Whaipooti.

The number of people in prison on any one day is set to top 10,000 by April 2017 at the latest an more likely by the end of this year. This will mean another $75,000,000 to keep these extra people in prison, and another 700 people and whānau whose potential will be locked away.

ENDS

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