GUEST BLOG: Jackie Foster – Beyond Punishment: A Swedish-Inspired Approach to Corrections Reform in New Zealand

Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell’s proposal to scrap short prison sentences in favour of longer ones is an approach that ignores decades of criminological research and the success of evidence-based rehabilitation models, particularly Sweden’s. If New Zealand truly wants to reduce reoffending and build safer communities, we must move beyond punitive incarceration and focus on a humane, rehabilitative corrections system that focuses on reintegration, education, and social support.

Sweden’s prison system operates on the theory that prison is not about punishment, it is about preparing people for reintegration into society. Swedish prisons prioritise education, vocational training, and psychological support, ensuring that inmates leave with the skills and stability needed to avoid reoffending. The results speak for themselves, Sweden has one of the lowest recidivism rates in Europe.

Unlike New Zealand’s overcrowded, underfunded prisons, Sweden’s system focuses on individualised rehabilitation plans. Prison officers are trained as social workers, engaging with inmates to address the root causes of criminal behaviour rather than simply locking them away. This approach reduces crime in the long term, rather than creating a revolving door of incarceration.

Mark Mitchell argues that longer sentences provide more access to rehabilitation, but this ignores the reality that New Zealand’s prison system is already under resourced. Extending sentences without significantly increasing funding for rehabilitation programs will only increase the prison population without improving outcomes, also highlighting the fact that Corrections has been asked to reduce spending by up to 7% in this years budget. 

Criminologists have long pointed out that the most effective rehabilitation occurs in community settings, where offenders can access drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, and employment support without the effects of incarceration. Research consistently shows that community-based sentences lead to lower reoffending rates compared to imprisonment.

Mark Mitchell also acknowledges that his policy would require building more prisons which raises the question, “Is this the best use of taxpayer money”? Prisons are extraordinarily expensive to build and maintain. Instead of investing in more concrete walls, New Zealand should be directing funds toward education, mental health services, addiction treatment, and poverty reduction, all of which are proven to reduce crime in the long term.

Mark Mitchell has spoken about focusing on offering remand prisoners rehabilitation, which currently is not available, a policy I support but only once it is implemented, so lets see if the government delivers on this. 

If the government truly wants to reduce reoffending, it must focus on early intervention and prevention. Addressing the drivers of crime, poverty, homelessness, addiction, and lack of education, will produce far better results than simply increasing prison sentences. The evidence is clear, longer sentences do not reduce crime, neither do they rehabilitate offenders more effectively, instead, they waste human potential, tear families apart, and drain public resources.

New Zealand needs a justice system that prioritises evidence-based solutions, not reaction policies that fail to deliver results. If we want safer communities, we must invest in proven strategies, not in more prisons.

 

Jackie Foster is CEO of Social Justice Aotearoa