Rising Prison Population a Political Decision

Justice advocate Awatea Mita, with degrees in psychology and criminology, combines her lived experiences of incarceration, sexual harm, substance abuse, maternal grief, and cancer survival with her professional work in restorative justice to support wāhine and women in crisis. In response to the Ministry of Justice’s Justice Sector Projections report, which shows the prison population is expected to increase by 36% in the next 10 years, Mita expressed her concerns. She stated, “I was disgusted and really disappointed. Increasing imprisonment rates for wāhine are the result of political decisions. Last year, corrections received almost $2 billion in funding, while multi-social service providers were put out of business, and legal aid and cultural reports were slashed. The government allocated $1.9 billion for mega expansions and mega prisons, prioritising Māori women going to prison instead of receiving the support they need. Keeping people behind bars is costly, with an annual cost of between $160,000 to $205,000 per person since 2015.” Mita’s insights highlight the urgent need for policy changes to better support wāhine and reduce the growing prison population.