Clinic rejects movie library fears
Concerns spur mental health facility to release titles
Alist of movies and video games available to patients at one of New Zealand’s most high-profile forensic mental health facilities has been released amid concerns the residents are watching violent and inappropriate titles.
In March a video posted by the Waitemata DHB revealed patients at the Mason Clinic were given birthday cakes, special Easter treats and movie nights complete with soft drink and snacks including popcorn and chocolate bars.
In the video was a still photo from a movie night showing the snack table.
Behind the table were a series of promotional posters for movies — including the horror title which has been described as “pretty gory” and “surprisingly filled with stunning violent sequences”.
The was contacted by a number of people including victim advocates who were concerned about what movies were available to the patients.
The brother of a man bludgeoned to death in his home by an offender who was later found not guilty of mur- der on the grounds of insanity was appalled at the thought of the killer watching violent movies.
“These patients are psychotic, paranoid, have auditory and visual hallucinations,” the brother said. “Allowing these individuals to view movies like these is irresponsible and dangerous, both to the community and the patients.”
However the DHB said the movie posters were not indicative of what was shown to patients — they were simply there to “create a sense of being at the movies”.
DHB specialist mental health and addiction services general manager Pam Lightbrown said all movies and video games shown to Mason Clinic patients had been “clinically reviewed and approved”. She supplied the
with a copy of the DHB’s censorship policy which governs access to “objectionable” material for patients.
In the policy, objectionable material is categorised as anything that “describes, depicts, expresses or otherwise deals with matters such as sex, horror, crime, cruelty or violence in such a manner that the availability of the content is likely to be injurious to the public good”.
Content is strictly limited and patients can effectively view only movies or games that have a G, PG or M rating. “R rated material is not permitted in any area of the inpatient services,” the policy states.
Patients deemed “acutely unwell” were not allowed to access any games or movies and late-night television — often more risque and adultthemed — was controlled by a curfew, meaning early bedtimes to “prevent exposure to late-night television”.
Patients can choose from more than 180 movies at the Mason Clinic library — including
and