Minister opens Auckland Drug Treatment Unit

Corrections Minister Judith Collins today opened the second of three new Drug Treatment Units which will double the number of prisoners able to undertake drug rehabilitation.

The new unit, at Auckland Prison, will provide specialist drug treatment for around 150 prisoners a year.

The first of the three new Drug Treatment Units was opened in June at Otago Corrections Facility. A third unit is scheduled to open at Wanganui next year, taking the total number of Drug Treatment Units around the country to nine.

The three new Drug Treatment Units offer, for the first time, condensed three-month treatment programmes, so that the large number of prisoners serving shorter sentences can attend and receive treatment.

"The opening of this unit shows again that the Government is delivering on its promise of doubling the number of prisoners who will receive drug and alcohol treatment annually from 500 to 1,000," Ms Collins said.

"This is a very important goal if we are serious about reducing the number of offenders in our prisons."

As of Monday this week there were 8859 prisoners in New Zealand's 20 prisons, courts and police cells, in addition to around 45,000 offenders serving community-based sentences and orders.

Ms Collins said drugs and alcohol were major drivers of crime in New Zealand and two-thirds of prisoners entered prison with drug and alcohol problems.

"The condensed treatment programme will allow Corrections to treat younger prisoners serving their first, and usually shorter, sentences and could help prevent them from moving to a lifetime of addiction and crime," she said.

"Recent analysis has shown that these Drug Treatment Units reduce reoffending by a third.  They have been highly successful in helping prisoners kick their alcohol and drug addictions, and lead law-abiding lives."