The prison population has once again surpassed the 10,000 mark but officials are putting it down to a trend. On March 28, April 2 and April 24, he was asked for comment on the new figures that show the prison population is increasing. "That really shows the effective prison population (those in prison and those out on community sentencing) is very high as was the exception." Projections had shown there would be an increase in prison population, he said. The cross agency High Impact Innovation Programme was delivering a number of initiatives that was contributing to a reduction in the prison population, he said.

Source: Stuff April 24, 2019 05:45 UTC