More P.D. centres for women likely

Press, 26 October 1982, Page 26

More P.D. centres for women likely

Parliamentary reporter One of the first changes to stem from the Penal Policy Review which was released in February this year may be the extension of periodic detention facilities for women. The Minister of Justice. Mr McLay, is expected to make an announcement about the move in the next few weeks. Mr B. J. Cameron, chairman of the Justice Department steering committee which has been examining the recommendations in the Penal Policy Review, said this week that approval in principle had been given to the idea, but it was still subject to consultations with the Women’s Advisory Council. There was already one periodic detention centre for women in Auckland and another was scheduled to be opened soon, said Mr Cameron. If periodic detention facilities for women were to be extended, existing periodic detention centres, especially in smaller centres, would have to cater for both men and women. Mr Cameron said that this was one of the changes re-

commended in the Penal Policy Review that could be implemented without change to existing penal legislation. The Justice Department steering committee was pushing ahead with other changes that did not require legislative change. These included the setting up of a pilot regional prison and the development of "throughcare” , programmes, which are aimed to foster the association between prison inmates and the community. Although these moves did not require a change in the law, a lot of groundwork was needed and they would probably not be implemented until next year, he said. Most of the major changes in penal policy in New Zealand can only be implemented when changes are made to the existing laws. Mr McLay expects that redrafted versions of the Criminal Justice Act, 1954, and the Penal Institutions Act, 1954, will be introduced in Parliament early next year. The Penal Policy Review was the work of an eightmember committee which spent a year considering submissions on New Zealand’s

penal policies. Its report, containing 73 recommendations, was released in February this year. The report recommended a greater emphasis on noncustodial sentences designed to help the social rehabilitation of offenders. It was described as the first coordinated and comprehensive review of penal policy in New Zealand. The Justice Department steering committee was set up to assess the reactions to the report’s recommendations and to study the implications and practicality of introducing the changes. It has been meeting weekly all year and has consulted with the Council of Social Services, the Public Service Association, the caucus justice committee, the Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations, and the Prisoners’ Aid Society. The committee, which is expected to meet until well into next year, has had to study more than 200 recommendations on penal policy. These include nearly 50 recommendations in a recent report on psychiatrically-dis-turbed prisoners.