Addressing Women's Needs or Empty Rhetoric? An Examination of New Zealand's Policy for Women in Prison (From Harsh Punishment: International Experiences of Women's Imprisonment, P 142-159, 1999, Sandy Cook and Susanne Davies, eds. -- See NCJ-183050)

• NCJ Number: 183055
• Author(s): Allison Morris; Venezia Kingi
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Northeastern University Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter profiles the women in New Zealand's prisons and considers whether or not prison is the most appropriate alternative for them; it also questions the adequacy of the prison system's response to the small number of women who compose the women's prison population.

Abstract

Although from 1991 to 1997 the number of women in prison was lower than the 1990 figure, a 20-percent increase occurred between 1996 and 1997. This may mean that New Zealand is starting to reflect the trend in women's imprisonment apparent in other Western jurisdictions. Reasons for this increase are not yet clear, but biennial prison censuses show that the profile of women in prison has changed little over the last 10 years. This profile is significantly different from that of the male prison population. The 1997 prison census indicates that more than half of the women in New Zealand's prisons were there for the first time, and more than one-quarter had no previous convictions. For 60 percent of those with previous convictions, the major previous offense was a traffic violation. Two-fifths of the women were in prison for property offenses, approximately one-third committed violent offenses, and 14 percent were imprisoned for drug offenses. Generally, the women are serving relatively short prison sentences, with more than one-third serving less than 1 year in 1997. The proportion serving longer sentences, however, has increased in recent years. Most women inmates are young, and Maori women are overrepresented. Regarding prison services and treatment options, the range of work offered in women's prisons does not match that offered in men's prisons, regardless of the existence of a performance standard. Few women inmates receive training of the kind that could help them obtain jobs when they leave prison. Because many female prisoners are far from their families and children, maintaining meaningful contact with them -- a priority for most women -- is not feasible. Suggestions for mitigating this circumstance are offered. Appended New Zealand performance standards for women's prisons, 19 notes, and 7 references