Wanganui gets a new drug unit | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

A clinic set up to provide specialist drug treatment to about 135 prisoners a year will open in 12 months at Wanganui Prison.

The unit will be the third of three new drug units following the opening of one at Otago Corrections Facility with the second opened at Auckland Prison yesterday.

Wanganui Prison manager Hati Rawai said the new unit would be a very positive move forward for the prison.

The unit will be designed to take 80 prisoners at a time, although Mr Rawai said there would probably only be around 60 inmates in the unit at one time.

Condensed three-month programmes would be offered.

The clinic will bring to ten the number of such clinics throughout New Zealand.

Mr Rawai said the treatment programme would not be voluntary and prisoners would be targeted for treatment in the unit.

Once a prisoner was sentenced then they would be assessed during the first month of their prison term, he said.

Corrections Minister Judith Collins said yesterday the Government wanted to double the number of prisoners who would receive drug and alcohol treatment annually from 500 to 1000.

As of Monday, there were 8859 prisoners in New Zealand's 20 prisons, courts and police cells.

There were also approximately 45,000 offenders serving community-based sentences and orders.

Two-thirds of prisoners entered prison with drug and alcohol problems, Ms Collins said.

"The condensed programme will allow Corrections to treat younger prisoners serving their first, and usually shorter sentences and could help prevent them from moving to a lifetime of addiction and crime."