Inmate gripes on the rise in prison

The amount of complaints being made by inmates at Manawatu Prison increased in the past year, but the partner of one prisoner has challenged the way Corrections deals with these interactions.

Information released under the Official Information Act showed there were 207 complaints or enquiries made by inmates at Manawatu Prison in 2014-15, compared to 156 in 2013-14.

Due to their record management system, Corrections said it was unable to distinguish between enquiries and complaints, without viewing each file individually.

Complaints and enquiries were categorised into a range of areas, including prisoner health, prisoner property and recreation, exercise and sport.

They included a wide range of subjects, such as requests for personal information under the Privacy Act, inquiries about lost property and requests to review decisions.

The partner of one Manawatu Prison inmate, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution against her partner, said whenever he made a complaint he was given a hard time by staff.

She said while had made a few complaints: ‘‘Nothing was ever done about it’’.

But she said there was also some ‘‘lovely’’ prison officers who went out of their way to help. ’’You get your good and your bad.’’

A Corrections spokeswoman said the department was committed to ensuring there were no barriers to prisoners making complaints. ’’Prisoners were entitled to make a complaint, as can family members and prisoner advocates on behalf of a prisoner.

‘‘They are also able to freely request a complaint form from unit staff in order to raise any concerns for investigation.

‘‘If the prisoner is not happy with the prison unit staff’s response to their complaint, they are able to escalate their complaint to prison management to seek resolution.’’

The spokeswoman said the number of complaints in individual prisons varied from year to year, depending on a number of factors such as which individual prisoners were detained at the prison.

Some prisoners made multiple complaints, she said. In Whanganui Prison the number of complaints and enquiries had dropped in recent years, with 170 made in 2014-15. This was 100 less than in 2010-11 when 270 were made.

Complaints and enquiries were handled in a confidential manner and when a prisoner made a complaint, Corrections officers were said to be encouraged to resolve it at the lowest level. ’’If the prisoner is still dissatisfied with the outcome they can escalate the matter further by contacting the Corrections Inspectorate via the 0800 complaints line or approach the Ombudsman,’’ the spokeswoman said.

The Corrections Inspectorate was established in 2004 as a dedicated complaints and resolutions service.