March 16, 2018
Prison boosts programmes for wahine
Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility at Wiri is trying a new approach for managing female inmates.
The prison yesterday held a Wahine Leaning Expo where the women were able to interact with about 12 external providers about education, training, and vocational opportunities.
Director Cheryle Mikaere says women in prison have distinct needs in prison and they respond to a different style of management than male offenders.
The new strategy is culturally responsive and takes into account the trauma of their lives that contributed to their offending.
"We’ve brought on board trauma counsellors, social workers, mental health clinicians, additional facilitators and programme providers for those specific programmes that help our wahine reintegrate back into the community to become more productive members of their community that they return to," Ms Mikaere says.
Other services include drug and alcohol programmes on site, a programme to give first time inmates tips on what to expect and how they can manage their emotions and get support, and a change programme to help wahine question their offence-related thinking and find ways to ensure they don’t relapse.
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