9. SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) Link to this
to the Minister of Corrections
Does he have confidence in his department; if so, why?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Corrections) Link to this
Yes, but there is always room for improvement.
How can jailed members of youth gang Juvanyle Crip Boys be allowed to post photos of themselves from inside Mount Eden Prison on to a social networking website that apparently also features a photo of Helen Clark arm in arm with gang members, titled “Cripn’ Clark”?
How was an inmate at Rimutaka Prison able to use a cellphone to allegedly mastermind via Thailand an order of $1 million worth of methamphetamine while at the same time a 10-month inquiry into corruption at the prison was being undertaken?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
That matter is currently under investigation. I have been informed that the Department of Corrections worked very closely with the police to identify and find the cellphones and all those involved in that drug ring, and smash it.
Hon Phil GoffIs the Minister aware of any other criminal offending organised by telephone from criminals behind bars; if so, when?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
Unfortunately, yes. A prisoner called a TV show, diverting a call made from the prison phone, to discuss his escape and the intention of three other prisoners to escape. Following investigation a statement was made: “The more I have investigated the abuse of prison phones, the more I have become concerned. Inmates are organising bank robberies, ordering drugs, arranging death contracts and leading gangs through misuse of the phone system. It just makes a total joke of the justice system.” That was said by the former Minister of Corrections Nick Smith in 1998. That National Government did nothing; we are clamping down on cellphone use in prisons.
How does the Minister reconcile his department’s acquiescence in allowing an inmate to allegedly hire a public relations company to soften his image, when it refused to allow an inmate to pay for his own private drug treatment to beat his addiction?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
I guess that the member is referring to Arthur Taylor, a man who has absolutely no credibility within the corrections system. The member incorrectly, as he so often does, says that the prisoner Justin Rys was not allowed to get a drug and alcohol counsellor paid for. That is, in fact, incorrect. The member is wrong again. Justin Rys has, in fact, been able to get access to that counselling, if he so wishes.
Does the Minister have any evidence to back up the damning indictment of the prison system made by Nick Smith as Minister of Corrections about 9 years of a National Government and the misuse of telephones in prisons?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
There is a huge amount of evidence. The performance of the corrections system under our Government has been outstanding. The escape rates have dropped 80 percent. We have moved on every area of contraband. I hope to make an announcement around the issue of cellphones very shortly.
Can the Minister confirm his department’s response to the Law and Order Committee during the estimates process that, despite the construction of four new prisons, more than half of New Zealand’s prisons’ capacity is “below standard, need to be replaced, decommissioned, or refurbished by 2014-15.”; and how will the creaking prison system cope when the most recent muster forecast for 2007 has already been exceeded by 131, well before peak season in September?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
It is a fact that we have clamped down on dangerous and violent criminals. We have locked up more of those people. It is also a fact that a lack of investment by the previous National Government has resulted in a running down of many of the prisons in this country. However, that member cannot have it both ways. If he criticises us for putting in under-floor heating and for providing proper facilities, he cannot criticise us for then having facilities that are not up to that standard. I ask the member to get it right.
Why were guards allegedly told to “stand back and watch” during riots at Rimutaka Prison, when the bill for intentional damage by inmates this year is already $1 million and sure to rise?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR Link to this
That is an allegation regarding the actions of guards at that time. I applaud them for handling that incident correctly. The total money spent on repairing vandalism within prisons is less than 5 percent of the total maintenance budget. I would suggest that that is around the figure that most public institutions around this country would spend on repairing vandalism.