A former partner's time behind bars was the catalyst for a lifetime of service for a Christchurch woman to help those reintegrate into society.
Helen Murphy's 27-year service to prisoner welfare and rehabilitation has earned her a title as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
She says prisoners are often subject to being degraded and told they have no value to society.
"To be able to see people going through that and moving through it and getting their self-esteem back and contributing back to society, that actually happens a lot more than people think," Ms Murphy told Newshub.
She says without help on the outside, prisoners often find themselves stuck in the system.
Her latest work has involved helping those forced to come back from Australia because of their criminal past.
"The grief of these people arriving is huge… they've been there since they were teenagers, and here they are arriving in New Zealand - it's a hugely different culture."
Ms Murphy has spent the last 10 years working for Prisoners' Aid and Rehabilitation Society in Christchurch.
Newshub.
