New terms for inmates ‘bit of a joke’
Corrections has begun calling prisoners ‘‘men in our care’’ in a move slammed by staff, according to well-placed sources.
Some officers are also being asked to address prisoners by their first names instead of their surnames, as was previously standard practice.
The raft of new terms also includes the te reo word paihere in lieu of prisoners, which in its noun form translates to ‘‘bundle’’.
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said the idea was to humanise people in prison and ‘‘uphold their mana’’.
A source close to a major South Island prison said none of his Corrections colleagues were taking the change seriously. ‘‘It’s nuts. They obviously think it’s a bit of a joke.’’
Another source, currently senior Corrections officer, told Stuff he had previously been told to refer to prisoners as ‘‘clients’’ rather than ‘‘offenders’’.
‘‘That was bad enough,’’ he said. But he was stunned when a new direction came from top brass ordering staff to refer to prisoners as ‘‘paihere’’.
‘‘It is ridiculous.’’ Corrections Association of New Zealand president Alan Whitley was no fan of the new language. ‘‘They’re not in our care, they’re in our custody, our legal custody.’’
He had concerns about the use of paihere instead of prisoner because
athe legislation used the term prisoner. Charges for incidents such as assaults in prison could be compromised if the legislation was not updated properly, he said.
Some older Corrections staff felt uncomfortable using the prisoners’ first names rather than surnames, while some prisoners also preferred to be addressed by their surnames, Whitley said. ‘‘They’re not our friends, they’re in our custody.’’
Topia Rameka is the recently appointed Deputy Chief Executive – Maori for the Department of Corrections. He said the term paihere was mainly used to refer to prisoners at Tongariro Prison in the central North Island. It was developed in 2016 in consultation with local iwi, Ngati Tuwharetoa, specifically for use at Tongariro.
refers to the ‘‘wellness action’’ while is the gathering, learning and collection of knowledge, according to Corrections.
‘‘While it was developed specifically for Tongariro Prison, staff at other sites have also chosen to adopt its use. If staff don’t wish to use the term, they don’t have to.’’
Davis said Corrections recently launched Ho¯kai Rangi, a strategy aimed at addressing Ma¯ori reoffending and imprisonment. ‘‘The strategy is about ensuring we are doing everything we can to help people turn their lives around while they’re inside, and reduce reoffending when a prisoner is released, so we have fewer victims of crime and safer communities.’’