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Justice Minister Judith Collins on Q + A - Source: ONE News -
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Corrections and Police Minister Judith Collins believes New Zealand prison system will benefit from "private sector initiative and know-how."
The bill, which gives the private sector the ability to manage prisons, passed its first reading this week.
Concerns have been raised over allowing the private sector the ability to determine prisoners' liberties and profit from people's crimes.
However, Collins says the private sector will not be denying people's liberties, and that that was a matter for the state, therefore the courts, to decide.
"This (private sector initiative) is about delivering on some of the services we expect for the prisoners and the public," she says.
There are currently 20 prisons in New Zealand and National plans to build another new prison. The new prison is expected to introduce the private sector initiative if the bill is successfully pushed through.
"I would hope that we will end up with a good combination of state-run prisons with a small number of privately managed prisons," she says.
