Staffing shortages force jail squeeze

Severe staffing shortages are forcing Corrections to close units at Mt Eden remand prison.

Units across prisons nationwide are being shuttered amid an ongoing shortage of prison officers.

In response, Corrections is set to boost the number of inmates doublebunking, or sharing the same cell.

Amnesty International said any increase in double-bunking was “deeply concerning” and a violation of United Nations standards.

More than 400 officers are needed across all seniority levels nationally.

Mt Eden prison, home mostly to remand prisoners to face trial or be sentenced, has been hit hardest.

A source familiar with internal figures said Mt Eden had 102 staff vacancies as of the end of last month.

The remand prison has had a challenging few months, with waves of resignations and a spate of assaults.

Some officers have been poached by other government agencies.

A prisoner at Mt Eden died in a mental health unit this year, while a senior officer remains on gardening leave and under police investigation after allegedly breaking the arm of an inmate who’d assaulted a colleague.

At Mt Eden, several units are to be vacated, including the Papa unit for prisoners awaiting deportation.

Some inmates are being moved to Auckland Prison at Paremoremo, home to the most dangerous inmates.

Corrections acting national commissioner Leigh Marsh said that over the past two years prisoners had been dispersed and double-bunking reduced to lower Covid-19 risk.

“As cases in prisons have now dropped considerably across the country, we are now looking at how we can best manage the prison population . . . to ensure the best use of our units and staff resources.”

Marsh said low unemployment and closed borders were among the reasons it was more challenging to recruit and retain staff.

“We will see a temporary increase in prisoner movements between prisons, as well as an increase in double bunking in some units.

“However, we do not expect this to have a negative impact for prisoners as we will see greater unlock hours, which means more time out of their cells, and a gradual return to inperson visits with family and friends.

“We know increased unlock hours and in-person visits has a largely positive effect on prisoners, which can lead to a decrease in tension.”

Double-bunking has reduced in recent years as the prison muster has fallen from just over 10,000 early in 2020 to about 7750 in April this year.

But Amnesty International Aotearoa wants it abolished altogether.

Its campaigns director, Lisa Woods, said it was a breach of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which state each prisoner should have a cell or room of their own.

“So it’s deeply concerning this is considered a viable solution.

“And in the past, the Chief Ombudsman has linked double-bunking to an increase in assaults and incidents in the prison. So there are really serious repercussions for this approach,” Woods said.

“If the proposal to move people into fewer units results in overcrowding, that’s completely unacceptable, and creates risk for the health and well-being of [inmates].”

Woods said it was also important to note Covid was not yet over and increased double-bunking could raise the risk of overcrowding and increased disease transmission.

Amnesty intended to investigate the issue further and ask questions of prison authorities and the Government, she said.

“Because the impact could be really devastating on the people who are in prison.”