GUEST BLOG: Arthur Taylor – Penny wise, pound foolish Corrections Dept
Someone “in the know” says fights are going on at Ngawha Prison in cells where prisoners double bunked. One inmate had his nose broken, 4-5 teeth chipped, beaten about the head, concussed and upgraded from Low-Medium security to HighSecurity at Mt Eden.
He was celled up with a psychotic prisoner who was not taking his medication Risperidone .
Releases on parole are the lowest in 20 years .
Double bunking is just the start of it in our prisons.
There are cuts to prisoner employment and rehabilitation too .
A far cry from only 4 years ago when Minister Anne Tolley touted that “every New Zealand Prison will be a working prison “.
An older Maori guy here had a part time job cleaning the library for $8 per week . He’s been made “redundant” as Corrections says it can’t afford to pay. The prison computer room has only 3 computers – and then only because I complained .
Most inmates need to use them to prepare for the outside world they will rejoin in most cases within 2 years. However, only 3 can do so for only the 8 hours per week that Corrections has the budget for a tutor.
It costs Corrections and everyone much more when these unprepared guys return to prison .
Arthur Taylor is TDBs prisoner rights blogger currently in prison.
keep fighting Arthur hopefully they we start to listen they
(the government ) were warned about the many dangers of double bunking if the person hasn’t been taking their medication they need to have someone monitoring this person. I had to get my sister on a compulsory order and she has an injection cause she was very ill and talking to herself having not taken her medicine for many years her health was deteriorating. I think people who are on meds need to have their own cell and as I mentioned be monitored. Also sexual offenders should not be sharing cells I know about prisoners getting raped and this makes me angry and sick. Rehab is important and so is support, suitable housing and a job when they get out and as you mentioned they will and do get out. The problem is when they do, the system has not been set up to help them properly so they end up back inside. If we truly want to reduce recidivism we need to put our money where our mouth is it will pay of in the long term.
Education and rehabilitation is the only way forward for the prison population, Corrections are still stuck in the Victorian Era ?