The NZ Prison Industrial Complex is falling in upon itself

The NZ Prison Industrial Complex is falling in upon itself

Budget 2025 funded Corrections for a set number of prisoners by mid-2026. We’re nearly there – a year early Budget 2025 provided $98.4 million a year in operational funding – mostly to hire more frontline staff – to cover a forecast 10,860 prisoners by June next year. By the end of June this year, there were already 10,783 prisoners, approaching the all-time high and almost at the peak of the funded capacity – a year earlier than anticipated. Th…