Anger over ban of programme
A decision by Serco to ban a Destiny Church programme from its South Auckland prison has been met with anger by those affected.
One woman believes that if Man Up had been available when her partner was behind bars, he could still be alive.
Cassandra Harwood’s partner Wayne Hotton took his own life while in solitary confinement on remand at Mt Eden Corrections Facility. She said the surprise move to cut the programme - which supports men with addiction, violence, anger and mental health issues - was "absolutely tragic."
Hotton, 45, was a father-of-three from the Hibiscus Coast in north Auckland. He became addicted to methamphetamine and ended up in custody on drugs charges. Hotton was held in solitary confinement for three weeks because of concerns over bullying and his mental health, meaning he was on 23-hour lockdown and under constant video surveillance.
"That’s what was driving him crazy, being alone, with only his thoughts," Harwood said. Harwood said Hotton was desperate, and trying to reach out to people outside of the prison. She believed a programme like Man Up could have given him hope. "I’m quite positive that things would’ve been different if something like that was available to him - I just don’t know why Serco would take away that possibility."
In the days leading to his death, Hotton became increasingly desperate. He called Harwood on a Thursday, begging for her to con- tact his lawyer. She said he was planning on pleading guilty to to bring his court case forward and cut short his time alone in solitary at Mt Eden. But his lawyer wasn’t available, and by Saturday, he was dead. "For someone like Wayne who couldn’t handle it in there and would rather die - I think [Man Up] would’ve saved him," Harwood said.
Man Up aims to empower men to be better husbands and fathers, and tackles issues such as violence and drug abuse. The programme is headed by Caine Warren, who is married to Jamie Warren, the daughter of Destiny leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki. Warren said he believed the programme had been banned by Serco because it was associated with Destiny Church.
Brian Tamaki took to Twitter on Sunday to question whether corrections minister Louise Upston was behind the ban.
"If The Minister of Corrections/ Prisons has sent an email 2 Serco banning Destiny Chch’s Man up programme based on discrimination she must Go," he wrote.
Labour’s corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis questioned why a service would be axed without explanation.
"I don’t have a lot of time for Destiny Church, but if there’s a programme that’s helping prisoners address their issues and become better people then I’m all for it," he said.
The Department of Corrections said while it was unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of religious belief, decisions about which visitors were approved were ultimately at the discretion of prison management.