New call centre for parolees
According to 3News, corrections chief executive Ray Smith has suggested using GPS systems and a call centre to keep track of criminals released on probation.
The ideas, inspired by similar initiatives in the US and Australia, would cut costs and make it easier not only for corrections to keep a tab on offenders, but also for offenders to keep to the terms of their release.
“One of the things we are talking about is setting up a contact centre that can outbound call,” says Smith.
Missing offenders were hard to track in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes, so GPS systems would help corrections find them.
"I don't think we've exploited that technology. One of the things we are talking about is setting up a contact centre that can 'outbound call' - imagine 20 highly trained probation officers that can outbound call offenders all day every day and talk to them about what they are doing, what's happening, where they are supposed to be”, says Stuff.co.nz.
The direction is a significant shift from the approach under his predecessor Barry Matthews, which was described as too focused on punishment, says New Zealand Herald.
Share