As CEO of Social Justice Aotearoa, I see so much damage done to not only people who are in the system but also their extended whanau. I wanted to share with you all, the words of a mother of a prisoner who wrote to her son’s NZ Corrections Case Manager after being failed time and time again.
“Three years and seven months ago my son was incarcerated, and for three years and seven months rehabilitation programmes that address his offending and behaviour have been withheld.
While I am grateful he has had the opportunity to engage in Maori cultural principles and practices within the prison system of the Maori Te Tirohanga unit, I question how it is, that a prerequisite to acceptance to that unit is that he must be committed and motivated to participate in rehabilitation, and yet nothing that addresses his offending behaviour has been offered.
Justice Brewer said in his sentencing notes:
[33] If I do not impose a minimum period of imprisonment then the Parole Board will assess you for release on parole after you have served one-third of your sentence
[36] I think the best way of encouraging your rehabilitation is to give you an incentive to fully engage with the programmes that will be available to you. I bear in mind that this is your first conviction for an offence of serious violence.
I suggest to you that Either Justice Brewer is armed with indeterminate information of how NZ Corrections operates, or something is seriously amiss in the NZ Corrections Operations team.
Based on the reports, documents, dialogue by the Case Manager and Counsel, and a verbal interaction between my son and members of the Parole Board, the Board predicted a further 6 – 12 months for NZ Corrections to provide the appropriate rehabilitation programmes. Then once completed, under Section 26, request another hearing to apply for parole. This was the Board’s decision on the day based on everything tabled.
Six months after the Board’s decision was made, nothing has eventuated. This makes a complete mockery of my son’s entire Parole Hearing, a complete waste of time for every person in attendance, a waste of taxpayers’ money and taxing, not to mention the detrimental affect it has on the wellbeing and mental health of my son and all of our whanau.
For this reason I appeal to you, not as a benevolence to the system you must navigate through, but as a person with a passion for what you do in your chosen field. Would you please review my son’s Psychological Report, and waitlist him for programmes best suited to his needs as a priority, and in compliance with the Parole Board’s decision issued six months ago.
Furthermore, please forward a copy of the Psychological Report to me, and a copy to Jackie Foster from Social Justice Aotearoa. As is his right, my son would also like a copy.
I look forward to your response.
Clearly the words of a devastated mother who understands her son needs help but is being shut down by a system that sets its clients up to fail.
Jackie Foster is the CEO of Social Justice Aotearoa.