Prison inmates plead for safety
Gang activity, bullying, contraband and standovers are still rife at Manawatu¯ Prison, according to the government watchdog.
A report by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier, released on Tuesday, found 46 per cent of prisoners surveyed during an unannounced inspection in May still felt at risk of being hurt or hassled by other prisoners.
Manawatu¯ Prison was among four jails visited unannounced by inspectors from the Ombudsman’s office, following on from visits in January 2016.
After those initial visits, Boshier said 22 recommendations were made to improve Manawatu¯ Prison. Half had been achieved, with four partially achieved.
One of the recommendations was that the prison should do a survey to identify where prisoners felt the least safe and work to fix the problem, with input from inmates.
Prison officials carried out the survey and prisoners now meet monthly with a senior prison officer to raise concerns and a meeting with prison management, including the prison director, is held quarterly.
But, even with this change, the latest report reveals 46 per cent of prisoners still feel unsafe, as gang activity, bullying, contraband and standovers continued to be a problem.
Another recommendation was for better paperwork for prisoner segregation and when force is used against inmates.
Corrections agreed with this and said a better system was in place, but when the investigator returned in May, they found this wasn’t the case.
They found inaccurate and missing paperwork, while some staff who had used force against prisoners were not up to date with the appropriate training.
A recommendation to replace worn and damaged strip gowns, mattresses and prisoner clothing, and make sure prisoners had access to sufficient clean clothing was achieved, and all worn mattresses had been replaced.
The initial report found there was also a lack of privacy at the jail and prison staff were able to see inmates undressing and washing themselves, either directly or through camera footage.
At first, Corrections did not accept changes were necessary to protect prisoner privacy.
However, officials have reconsidered their position and would look at how to balance privacy with ‘‘necessary observation’’.
‘‘While I’m pleased that more than half of the recommendations have been fully or partly achieved, I’d like to see better progress in achieving the improvements we recommend,’’ Boshier said.
A statement from Corrections chief custodial officer Neil Beales said the department acknowledged the follow-up report from the Ombudsman.
He said work was happening to meet the remaining recommendations.
Concerns about one of the prison’s blocks were being dealt with through ‘‘a significant capital investment in work to refurbish the block’’.
Other concerns being acted on include moves to install more telephones and regulate meal times.
‘‘It’s important to remember that some of these recommendations, like refurbishing B Block, require significant investment and can take some time, especially if we’re going to get it right,’’ Beales said.
‘‘Manawatu¯ Prison staff feedback since the initial report and subsequent changes has been positive, especially in regard to the environment being safer.
‘‘The staff are committed to ongoing improvement so they can ensure their and prisoners’ safety.’’