New Zealand First has pledged to fund more prisoner programmes across New Zealand, including KiwiRail’s “Second-Steppers” programmes, if they are elected.
Party leader Winston Peters said in Gore today that prisoners would be “taken out” of Northland’s Ngawha prison and put into training with KiwiRail.
The cost of imprisoning each inmate is about $105,000 a year, Peters said.
“The sooner we get rehabilitation going and people back in the workforce, the better,” he said.
“Training programmes decrease reoffending rates, and keep people from returning to prison upon their release.”
There are also other programmes in the pipeline, Peters said.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is in the deep south, hoping to drum up support. (Source: Other)
“We’ve elected to fund those rather than go on where somebody gets mugged in the street, and then the taxpayer gets mugged for the next few years at $105,000 a prisoner.”
Peters said the initial “Second-Steppers” pilot programme would see about five prisoners in training, but it would operate alongside the Howard League training programme.
The 3000 prisoners that had got their licenses through Howard League reform “was perhaps the greatest news this country has seen in a long time”, Peters said.
“New Zealand First has been a long-time advocate of initiatives like this. We have supported the Howard League’s prison drivers programme, adult literacy classes and the Greyhound Great Mates Prison Programme.
“If elected, we pledge to work with Corrections, and fund more of these and similar programmes across the country.”
SHARE ME