Minister opens refurbished Community Corrections site

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has officially opened the Lower Hutt Community Corrections site, which has been refurbished at a total cost of $957,000.

The site now provides a safer environment for staff, as they support offenders to comply with sentences and order conditions.

“The probation staff at this site play an important role in helping keep the community safe and in helping us reduce reoffending,” says Mrs Tolley.

“The new design will allow officers to deliver better results in a safer workplace.

“It includes a dedicated community work centre, a multi-purpose room for on-site training and enhanced safety provisions for staff with CCTV, duress signals and glass interview rooms.

“Partner agencies and providers will also be able to take advantage of the facilities to deliver training and rehabilitation programmes.

“Staff at the site not only make sure that offenders comply with their sentences, they also actively work with them to improve their family relationships, get help for alcohol and drug problems, hold down a job and encourage them to turn away from a life of crime.

“We have a target of reducing reoffending by 25 per cent by 2017, leading to 18,500 fewer victims of crime every year, and the staff at the new site will be at the very heart of this.”
Ends

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Gaza.Scoop: UNRWA School, Ambulances Attacked - Gaza MOH

The Ministry of Health Gaza expresses its horror and outrage at the latest Israeli massacre moments ago at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced persons in Beit Hanoun. Ten people have been killed and there is a large number of wounded. More>>

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Gordon Campbell:
On Gaza And Burning The Israeli Flag

One of the selling points in New Zealand’s campaign for a temporary seat on the Security Council is that we have a pluckily independent voice to offer on international conflicts.

This image is not entirely self-delusional. When we did occupy a temporary UN Security Council seat in the 1990s, New Zealand was forthright about the need for the international community to actively respond to the Rwanda genocide. On April 14, 1994, New Zealand, Nigeria and the Czech Republic were the only nations to call for a forceful UN intervention to halt the killings. It was a proud moment in the diplomatic record of the Bolger government.

What then, is the current National government doing with respect to the slaughter in Gaza? More>>