The prison population is being forecast to rise at double the rate previously thought. The latest ten-year projections come from the Ministry of Justice, and are 2000 higher than previous projections.
Despite these forecasts, the government scrapped plans for a mega-prison at Waikeria and instead announced a smaller prison with a mental health unit.
The Corrections Minister is Kelvin Davis. He tells Guyon Espiner the numbers are already tracking below the forecast of growth from the Ministry of Justice.
