No one spoke out about abuse at SERCO prison – surprise surprise

Oh for the love of God…

Serco: No confirmation of ‘dropping’ in prison violence report
Not a single person interviewed for an inquiry into violence at Mt Eden Corrections Facility has confirmed the practice of “dropping” inmates from balconies, Serco says.

The company’s lawyer Hayden Wilson told Wellington High Court today that the Chief Inspector of Prisons’ draft report made no reference to the issue of dropping – in which new prisoners are allegedly thrown from a landing onto a concrete floor.

This was despite the fact that it was one of the key allegations against Serco, and contributed to the decision to launch an inquiry into organised violence at the prison.

“It was at at the forefront of the investigation,” Mr Wilson said.

The issue of dropping was first raised by Labour MP Kelvin Davis.

Mr Davis claimed in Parliament that it was common at Mt Eden Corrections Facility, and may have led to the death of an inmate who was found to have a punctured lung after being transferred to another prison.

…of course no one saw anything! The dropping was punishment by gangs for those who wouldn’t smuggle drugs and contraband into the prison, if that’s what they were doing to those who wouldn’t do as they were threatened, what would happen to prisoners who said, “Oh yes, I saw the gangs beating people inside prison” – and just how long would those prisoners last inside then?

It’s a bullshit whitewash report. Nothing more, nothing less.

Meanwhile the private prison corporation continues to make money from incarceration.