A new drug treatment unit has opened in New Zealand's only maximum security prison.
The unit at Auckland Prison at Paremoremo was officially opened by Corrections Minister Judith Collins on Thursday and is the first of its kind in the region.
The intensive three-month programme will target prisoners serving sentences between four and 12 months and will be run by the Odyssey House Auckland Trust.
Ms Collins says this should mean there are fewer opportunities for people to be victimised once prisoners finish their sentences.
She says with drug abuse such an indicator of crime, the unit is one way for the Government to try to reduce crime.
A total of 150 prisoners will have access to treatment in the unit in its first year.
