This section describes the characteristics of people who lived in prisons and penal institutions. The category ‘prisons or penal institutions’ includes prisons, youth correction institutions, and remand centres. It is limited to people who were in a prison or penal institution on census night, and stated that this was where they usually resided. In the prison context, these are people who were likely to be sentenced prisoners, especially those with relatively long prison sentences.

Be cautious when interpreting data from the census about people who live in prisons and penal institutions, as the level of non-response for some variables was high, including highest qualification and relationship status.

The Department of Corrections (Corrections) also collects statistics about people in prisons, and publishes a two-yearly ‘Offender Population Report’. Be cautious when comparing data, as Corrections data on offenders is sourced from the department’s operational data systems and is collected primarily for operational rather than statistical purposes. There are also differences in the type of data collected – eg Corrections records only one ethnicity for each person, while the census collects multiple ethnicities.

See NZ.Stat for annual data from Corrections on the prisoner population

Over 4,000 people in prisons and penal institutions

In 2013, 4,257 people lived in 42 prisons or penal institutions across New Zealand. The Waikato region accounted for 26.7 percent of people who lived in prisons or penal institutions. Two of the country’s largest correctional facilities are in Waikato (Spring Hill Corrections Facility and Waikeria Prison).

9 in 10 people in prisons and penal institutions are male

Most of the 4,257 people living in prisons and penal institutions were male, at 93.8 percent (3,993 people). This proportion aligns with Corrections data on the prison-sentenced population (Department of Corrections, 2013). The proportion of males who lived in this type of dwelling was almost double the proportion of males in the general New Zealand population (48.7 percent). There were 261 females living in prisons and penal institutions.

Two-thirds of people who lived in these dwellings were in the 20–44-year age group (66.5 percent). This was similar for men and women, and was double the proportion of this age group in the total New Zealand population (32.5 percent).

Figure 19

Māori make up almost half the people in prisons and penal institutions

Almost half the people who lived in prisons and penal institutions identified as Māori (47.9 percent). This was more than three times the proportion of people who identified as Māori in the general population, and was similar to Corrections data for the percentage of people who identified as Māori (Department of Corrections, 2013).

A lower proportion of people who lived in prisons and penal institutions identified as European than in the total population (45.5 percent, compared with 74.0 percent).

Table 7

Half of those in prisons and penal institutions have no qualification

Of those who answered the qualifications question in the census, almost half stated they had no qualification (49.2 percent). However, a high proportion of people (46.1 percent) who lived in these dwellings did not state their highest qualification. Corrections also noted a low response rate in their data on highest qualification. The proportion of people with no qualification was much higher than in the general population (20.9 percent), and aligns with Corrections data from 2008 which stated that 52 percent of prisoners reported they had no formal qualifications (Corrections, 2009).

A much lower proportion of people who lived in prisons and penal institutions had achieved a bachelor’s degree and level seven or higher qualification, compared with the general population.

Figure 20

People identifying as Māori were the most likely ethnic group in prisons and penal institutions to have no qualification (56.1 percent). They were also more likely than Māori in the general population to have no qualification (33.3 percent of Māori in the general population had no qualification in 2013).

The Department of Corrections conducted research in 2012–13 on the literacy and numeracy capability of prisoners. It showed that 71 percent of prisoners had literacy levels that could be characterised as “below the level at which a person is able to cope with the demands of everyday life and work in a complex, advanced society” (Bowman, 2014).

Most people in prisons and penal institutions never married

Most people living in prisons and penal institutions who provided relationship information had never been married or in a civil union (69.8 percent). This was much higher than for the New Zealand population (35.0 percent).

Note that a high percentage (48.0 percent) of all people who lived in prisons and penal institutions did not state their relationship status.

A small percentage of people who lived in these dwellings were married.

Table 8

Women in prisons and penal institutions more likely than women in total population to have had children

In 2013, 261 women lived in prisons and penal institutions. These women were more likely than those in the general population to have given birth to children. They were also more than twice as likely to have given birth to four or more children, compared with the general population (see table 9).

Table 9

Note that these figures relate to relatively small numbers of women, and 6.9 percent of women living in prisons and penal institutions objected to answering how many children they had given birth to (compared with 2.8 percent nationally). One-third (33.3 percent) of all women living in this type of dwelling did not respond to the question.