Straight Thinking In New Zealand/Aotearoa
| Date | 01 December 2000 |
| Published date | 01 December 2000 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050004700404 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Straight Thinking
In
New
Zealand/Aotearoa
Anita Gibbs and Russell Beal combine practice and academic
insights to evaluate the recently implemented Straight Thinking
Programme in New Zealand. They examine a range of issues,
including the cultural appropriateness of a programme developed
essentially in the UK
and North American context.
he
11 I
New Zealand/Aotearoa (land of
the long white cloud) Community
Straight Thinking
Probation Service has undergone even more
rapid shifts of culture, structure and service
As is the case elsewhere, New Zealand’s
delivery in the 1990s than English and
Community Probation Service operates
Welsh probation services. These rapid
within the broader social, political and
changes have resulted in a new look
legislative context and is inevitably dictated
Service, which emphasises integrated
to by current penological, criminal justice
sentences, case management and the
and media philosophies of crime and
development and implementation of core
punishment. The current climate seems to
programmes. One such programme is the
be one of punishment, correctionalism,
Straight Thinking initiative, a hybrid
blaming individuals, and a media obsession
version of the old ’Reasoning and
with supposedly dangerous populations
Rehabilitation’ cognitive skills course first
victimising the innocent public (Pratt, 1994;
established in Canada (Ross, Fabiano &
2000). Into this context, the Community
Ewles, 1988; McLaren, 1999) and
Probation Service has introduced a range of
extensively used in some probation areas in
What Works programmes and some more
England and Wales (Weaver &
Bensted,
punitive community options such as ’home
1992; Raynor &
Vanstone, 1997). This
detention’; this sanction was introduced in
piece explores the development and content
1999 and makes it possible for a prisoner to
of Straight Thinking, and the experience of
serve a proportion of his or her sentence
one practitioner (Russell Beal) who ran the
detained at home (or other approved
first two Straight Thinking courses in
residence) under electronic monitoring.
Dunedin, in the South Island of New
Such disposals seem to be aimed primarily
Zealand. We also highlight a number of
at appeasing media fuelled demands for
issues
of
concern
regarding
the
hard-line alternatives to imprisonment, but
implementation of Straight Thinking as a
also serve to meet the demand for more
core programme for the New Zealand
constructive work with offenders.
Probation Service.
Elizabeth Fabiano and Robert Ross had
250
brought their original cognitive skills
disposal is similar to community service in
package to New Zealand in the early 1990s,
the UK, in that practical work is usually
but for a variety of reasons the New
completed on one or two days a week under
Zealand Department of Corrections (of
close supervision within strict guidelines;
which Community Probation is one sector)
hence the use of Straight Thinking is a
decided to repackage it into an adapted
significant deviation from what would
New Zealand one. Such reasons included
normally be expected by someone
problems with Canadian terminology and
sentenced to periodic detention.
the original programme’s lack of cultural
Those attending Straight Thinking are
appropriateness. The additions included
expected to participate in an intensive
sections on victim awareness, relapse
programme lasting 4 days per week for
prevention and the inclusion of Maori
9 weeks. The ’voluntary’ notion is
terminology (see below).
misleading, as any offender who misses
Straight Thinking in New Zealand has
sessions may be breached and taken back to
been defined as a core programme by the
court. The ultimate aim of the programme
Department of Corrections, which means it
is, not surprisingly, reductions in re-
will be implemented for large numbers of
offending. However, intermediate goals
offenders in custody and for those on
for the offender include: improved
community sentences. It seems to have
consequential and alternative thinking;
been ’flagshipped’ because it is seen to fit
accepting personal responsibility and
the What Works criteria and is part of the
developing self-controlled behaviour;
broader ’individual must take responsibility
increased victim awareness and empathy;
for their criminal actions’ political agenda.
and increased problem-solving capacity.
It also fits neatly into current ideas about
The programme draws upon a cognitive-
integrated sentence management (or
behavioural theory of change and therefore
seamless sentences). Critics...
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