GUEST BLOG: Jackie Foster – Budget Cuts: The Real Impact on New Zealand’s Corrections System

Recent budget cut suggestions to the Ministries of Justice and Corrections by the government will only increase existing problems like the current 18-month wait for criminal trials we currently see, a harrowing experience for victims of crime but also putting unnecessary pressure on the already clogged prison remand system.

These cuts will worsen court delays and limit access to legal aid, undermining the rights of those seeking justice.

This will increase the current backlog and strain an already fragile system.

Despite claims that any budget cuts are purely administrative, the reality is that any reduction impacts frontline services. Cuts to administration inevitably trickle down, affecting staffing, court efficiency, and the availability of rehabilitation programs.

The frontline is where the real work happens, and cuts there can have serious consequences. These so-called administrative cuts will lead to overworked staff, reduced support for victims, and weakened rehabilitation efforts within corrections.

These cuts not only jeopardise the effectiveness of our justice and corrections systems but will also erode public confidence in their ability to provide safety and justice for all.

A major concern also is the decision to cut funding to corrections could pave the way for private companies to profit from incarceration, as seen with Serco’s prison facility in Wiri, Auckland, a facility that offers no rehabilitation compromising our justice system and eroding the humane treatment of individuals. Privatisation simply turns justice into a commodity, focusing on profit over people. Justice in our country must be a beacon of fairness and rehabilitation, not a profit-driven venture.

To safeguard our corrections system, we must prioritise investment in rehabilitation and support, ensuring that Corrections can function effectively and humanely.

Any budget cut will lead to reduced rehabilitation programs and strained resources, increasing the risk of re-offending. These cuts will push us further toward privatisation, compromising humane treatment for profit.

An effective justice and corrections system should only aim to rehabilitate and reintegrate, not simply punish and house offenders. With investment in Justice and Corrections we can build a society that values human dignity and reduces re-offending, but by reducing financial input will only make the broken system worse than it currently
is.

Jackie Foster
CEO
Social Justice Aotearoa

 

 

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