RECAP Newsletter

It is often assumed that we know what New Zealanders want from their prisons. Firstly, that they exist to keep dangerous and unsafe criminals from doing public harm. Secondly, that they should in some way, reduce reoffending.

Andrew Coyle, Professor of Prison Studies at the International Centre for Prison Studies, and a recent visitor to New Zealand, has over many years, acted as a consultant to the United Nations, and worked with governments Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia on issues of prison reform. A former Prison Governor, (his last post was Brixton Prison) he has visited prisons in over 60 countries. IN recent years, he has been involved with prison reform in China, India, Russia, Chile, Brazil, Algeria and Mozambique,

He points to the massive increase in the number of people imprisoned not only in the United States, but in the UK and Wales, Netherlands, and of course New Zealand. He identifies five categories of countries:

Coyle’s Categories

In a presentation to the Prison Fellowship 25th Anniversary conference, (1) Coyle categorised the attitudes of countries toward imprisonment into five broad groups... Read More

The New Zealand Scene

Which category would you place New Zealand in? If it is heading toward the fifth category, what are the consequences of that? Coyle considers that the notion of prison as a place of exclusion sits uneasily with the concept of a society which is integrated and in which everyone is meant to contribute to the good of others. In his presentation he offers an alternative vision of what prisons should do...Read More

Scottish Government - Empower young people – don’t punish them

The Scottish government’s new strategy to prevent youth offending will focus on early intervention, positive parenting, and support rather than punishment. It is committed to preventing the causes of offending by giving every child the best start in life. The framework states;

We need to give young people more positive choices and chances, and build their capacity to capitalise on opportunity. For the small number of young people who pose a serious threat to themselves and their communities, we need to intervene quickly and effectively to turn their lives around."

The strategy was released on the 19th May...Read More


RECAP Newsletter



Issue 38, June 2008

Click "Have Your Say" above to connect to our "Blog" and contribute to the discussion on this newsletter No Room at the Inn Prison Overcrowding in UK and Wales has reached a critical point. In a recent communication, Jonathan Aitken, Chair of the Conservative Inquiry into Prison Reform described how an inmate from Brixton Prison was released to give evidence at the Inquiry hearing, only to find that his cell was filled by the prison staff during his two hour absence, and he had nowhere to go! Corrections staff had to make urgent inquiries, but it was some time before he was moved to another facility – minus his personal belongings. Read More		What do we want from our Prisons?

		It is often assumed that we know what New Zealanders want from their prisons. Firstly, that they exist to keep dangerous and unsafe criminals from doing public harm. Secondly, that they should in some way, reduce reoffending. Andrew Coyle, Professor of Prison Studies at the International Centre for Prison Studies, and a recent visitor to New Zealand, has over many years, acted as a consultant to the United Nations, and worked with governments Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia on issues of prison reform. A former Prison Governor, (his last post was Brixton Prison) he has visited prisons in over 60 countries. IN recent years, he has been involved with prison reform in China, India, Russia, Chile, Brazil, Algeria and Mozambique, He points to the massive increase in the number of people imprisoned not only in the United States, but in the UK and Wales, Netherlands, and of course New Zealand. He identifies five categories of countries: Coyle’s Categories In a presentation to the Prison Fellowship 25th Anniversary conference, (1) Coyle categorised the attitudes of countries toward imprisonment into five broad groups... Read More The New Zealand Scene Which category would you place New Zealand in? If it is heading toward the fifth category, what are the consequences of that? Coyle considers that the notion of prison as a place of exclusion sits uneasily with the concept of a society which is integrated and in which everyone is meant to contribute to the good of others. In his presentation he offers an alternative vision of what prisons should do...Read More Scottish Government - Empower young people – don’t punish them The Scottish government’s new strategy to prevent youth offending will focus on early intervention, positive parenting, and support rather than punishment. It is committed to preventing the causes of offending by giving every child the best start in life. The framework states; We need to give young people more positive choices and chances, and build their capacity to capitalise on opportunity. For the small number of young people who pose a serious threat to themselves and their communities, we need to intervene quickly and effectively to turn their lives around." The strategy was released on the 19th May...Read More

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