New Zealand has one of the highest incarceration rates in the OECD
- There are 10,000 people in prison (including people on remand) at any given time.
- 62 percent of people in prison have been diagnosed with a mental condition or substance abuse order in the previous 12 months.
- 50 percent of people convicted of offences lived in the 20 percent of the most deprived areas of New Zealand and 30 percent lived in the 10 percent most deprived areas.
- 77 percent of people in prison have been victims of violence.
- 53 percent of women and 15 percent of men in prison have experienced sexual violence.
- 57 percent of adults sentenced to prison are Maori. Maori comprise 15 percent of the population.
(From official Ministry of Justice sources)
“ Prisons are a fiscal and moral failure” – Bill English
“The justice system is a fully funded failure” – Professor Tracey McIntosh
