Corrections seizes back control of Mt Eden
THE privately run Mt Eden Corrections Facility has been taken over by the Government, following serious allegations of prisoner injury and mistreatment at the jail.
Yesterday afternoon Corrections chief executive Ray Smith and Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-liga announced a ‘‘crack team’’ of up to 20 staff from around the country would oversee the day-to-day running of the jail for the immediate future.
The ‘‘step-in’’ clause in the contract with Serco was invoked after further allegations of a prisoner being assaulted emerged on Thursday, just hours after Serco management assured the minister there were no further incidents.
Smith said ‘‘substantial’’ financial penalties were also possible, and he would await the outcome of reviews under way before proceeding further.
Other options available include issuing Serco with a final warning or early termination of the contract.
Labour MP Kelvin Davis said the decision was an admission that privatising the prison was a mistake, and Serco’s management had been ‘‘a fiasco’’.
He described the Government stepping in as ‘‘a humiliating backdown’’ at a time when it was considering privatising other services.
WHAT IS SERCO?
A multinational firm contracted by the Department of Corrections to run the Mt Eden prison.
Serco is also in charge of the 960-capacity prison at Wiri in South Auckland. The company has already been fined $300,000 over its operation of private prisons in the past year.
WHAT IS ALLEGED?
Prisoners have been involved in organised ‘‘fight clubs’’ inside Mt Eden Corrections Facility. Despite cellphones and internet access being prohibited inside the jail, it’s claimed he was thrown off a balcony by other inmates, later dying from his injuries. Evans suffered a collapsed lung and contracted pneumonia and a superbug, from which he did not recover. His death is the subject of a coroner’s inquest. Alex Littleton: He suffered broken legs in February and had to have steel bolts surgically inserted after an incident at Mt Eden. His parents say he was pushed from a balcony, which the Department of Corrections denies. Smith said Littleton ‘‘fell’’ from the balcony after being chased and was subsequently assaulted. Unidentified prisoner: Another inmate transferred out of Mt Eden prison this week arrived at the new facility with injuries. He made ‘‘serious allegations’’ about mistreatment, leading to Smith issuing a statement just hours after Serco management assured the minister there were no more incidents he should be aware of.
WHO IS INVESTIGATING?
The Chief Inspector of Corrections, Andy Fitzharris. The office of the Ombudsman is also reviewing the investigation, and due to report back on August 28.
Tracy Watkins