People in prison can call the Royal Commission on the unmonitored and unrecorded freephone number 0800 222 727. 

If you have a whānau member or friend in prison who would like to share their experience this is the information they need to know.  

Accessing information

Fact sheets with information about the Royal Commission are available on the touchscreen self-service kiosks in all prisons. These fact sheets explain what 'in care' means and give examples of abuse. They outline the ways people in prison can contact the Inquiry.

People in prison can get more information by calling the Inquiry’s free 0800 phone number. This number is approved by Corrections as an unmonitored number and phone calls to the Inquiry will not be recorded.

Contacting the Inquiry

People in prison can contact the Inquiry by telephone or in writing.

They can call the Commission for free on the 0800 phone number. This number is approved by Corrections as an unmonitored and unrecorded number.

People in prison can write to the Inquiry using the PO Box number. Letters to Commission will be treated as confidential.

A family or whānau member, or support person, can contact the Inquiry on behalf of a person in prison if they have consent to do so.

Being involved

People in prison have the same options available to share their experiences as people who are not in prison. This includes face-to-face private sessions with a Commissioner or by sending in a written account.

A support person, of the survivors choosing, can be present at the face-to-face meeting or can assist in the writing down of the account. However, to enter the prison the support person must be an approved prison visitor for the survivor.

If a person is invited to provide evidence at a public hearing an audio-visual link may be considered as an alternative to releasing the person from prison. Corrections will consider enabling people in prison to attend public hearings on a case-by-case basis.

Support and counselling

People in prison will be offered similar support options to people who are not in prison. Survivors will be asked about what types of support they may need to participate fully and to ensure their wellbeing both before and after they share their experience.

This support may include face-to-face or telephone counselling, connections to mental health services, wellbeing services, or advocacy and support agencies that operate in prisons.

All survivors are encouraged to maintain a dialogue with our staff about how we can best meet their support needs.

Privacy of people in prison

The privacy and confidentiality protections for people engaging with the Commission from prison are the same as for people who are not in prison.

However, there are reasonable and necessary exceptions based on logistical requirements. For example, Corrections staff may need to organise the space for a private session between a survivor and a Commissioner, book a counselling session or set up an audio-visual link to a public hearing.

Questions?

The Inquiry and the Department of Corrections are committed to working together to support people in prison to access the work of the Inquiry and participate fully.

If you have any questions about matters related to Corrections you can contact info@corrections.govt.nz

If you have any questions about matters related to the Inquiry you can contact us.