Trust calls for new prisoner reintegration bylaw rejected

A call to establish a bylaw requiring prisoner reintegration homes to be subject to resource consent has been rejected.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust asked the Palmerston North City Council to establish a bylaw for homes set up in the city for prisoner reintegration.

Trust Manawatu spokesman Scott Guthrie wrote to Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith, asking him to consider regulations that would require homes used for prisoner reintegration to have resource consent.

"We see them as commercial entities - the Department of Corrections pays various organisations who then rent a home for these offenders. This is a commercial operation because it involves the exchange of money and affects neighbouring properties."

The letter states the trust is consistently approached by "concerned members of the public" when a high-risk offender is reintegrated into their community.

"A resource consent is a notified consent, meaning it must be publicised in the affected areas three times, giving any member of the community the opportunity to put submissions into council," Mr Guthrie said. "Council then considers all submissions and can either decline or approve the application."

Mr Smith said this was not council's area to get involved in.

"We don't see a need to create a bylaw. We think it would be a sledgehammer approach. The issue of prisoner reintegration is best dealt with by the central government agencies responsible for this work."

The letter refers to a Lower Hutt sex offender who was relocated after a community outcry. The pressure forced his accommodation provider to terminate their contract early and Corrections' then moved the man to residence at Christchurch Men's Prison.

At the time, Corrections' said it chose a location more than 1km from a school, by road but, neighbours noted a school within walking distance to the man's back fence. He also shared a driveway with a young family and other neighbours were told to move their daughter's paddling pool.

A Corrections' spokesman said three out of every four offenders managed by them were done so in the community.

"The department has a long-standing relationship worth several million dollars with the likes of the Salvation Army and numerous other NGOs in the provision of services including reintegration programmes and support to offenders leaving prison.

"The complexity of the challenges facing offenders released from prison cannot be the responsibility of one agency alone. The department is already working with partner agencies including the ministries of justice, health and social development to progress initiatives and policy changes."