Employees and prisoners alike were concerned about staff shortages, and the lack of programmes and activities for prisoners says Chief inspector Janis Adair. Photo: UnSplash/ Matthew Ansley
Rimutaka prison is understaffed, staff are fatigued, and most prisoners have no access to activities, rehabilitation programmes or in-person visits, an inspection report has found.
But the Department of Corrections said the Upper Hutt facility had made a number of improvements since the inspection in December 2023.
Corrections chief inspector Janis Adair - who runs the operationally independent team within the department - said an the inspection found a range of problems that she expected management to address.
While there was a clear focus on safety and security, employees and prisoners alike were concerned about staff shortages, and the lack of programmes and activities for prisoners, she said.
Prisoners were receiving most of their minimum entitlements, including telephone calls and at least an hour out of their cell every day.
"But it was concerning that at the time of our inspection, no in-person visits were taking place, and there had been no visits since August 2022."
Limited visits had been made available from March this year.
There were examples of "notable positive practice," said Adair.
The health team, while "significantly understaffed and under pressure," was delivering a good quality service, and prisoners commented on the respectful and kind treatment they had received, she said.
The inspection also found staff and prisoners were positive about the prison's full body scanning machine, meaning new prisoners or those suspected of concealing contraband did not need to be strip searched.
Inspectors found positive interactions between staff and prisoners in the Special Treatment Unit, where the rehabilitation programme for violent offenders takes place.
"In this unit, other constructive activities were offered, such as kapa haka, tikanga classes and whānau hui, and prisoners told us they mentored each other and held each other to account," said Adair.
The report said prison management were now expected to address the findings and give their "action plan" to the Office of the Inspectorate.
"I expect prison management to take steps to address these challenges and I will be monitoring their progress," Adair said.
- Most activities for prisoners, including rehabilitation, stopped in December 2022 - so they had little to do, and lack of rehabilitation programmes meant there were limited opportunities for people to prepare themselves for release.
- Not all prisoners were receiving numeracy and literacy assessments and most education programmes had ceased, though some prisoners were teaching themselves.
- Prisoners are entitled to one half hour in person visit each week, but these stopped in August 2022 due to staff shortages: a "very concerning situation."
- Prisoners were getting other minimum entitlements like phone calls and time outside - but those in high security units were locked in their cells most of the day.
- The prison was operating with 80 percent of custodial staff.
- The health team was short staffed and under pressure.
- Two men were on "directed segregation" for more than three months, experiencing "prolonged solitary confinement."
- That had not been reviewed and approved by a Visiting Justice, as per the rules for confinement exceeding three months.
- 57 percent of prisoners are Māori, but there is "very limited cultural support" to meet their needs.
- There is little consistency of leadership, with several Acting Prison Directors and one permanent Prison Director in a four-year period.
- A higher proportion of prisoners (55 percent) are on remand, and more prisoners are transferring into and out of prisons due to "network pressures" - so prisoners lack whānau support nearby.
Staff shortages had been a problem in prisons since the Covid-19 lockdowns, and in April the Chief ombudsman Peter Boshier warned the government Corrections had been too slow to address it.
Meanwhile Rimutaka prison had been at the centre of a corruption scandal.
A three-year police investigation into the jail has led to one prisoner, a current employee, three former workers and a member of the public facing [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/505076/corrections-staff-allegedly-bribed-with-sex-and-money-to-take-contraband-into-rimutaka-prison
charges of corruption and bribery].
A former Corrections officer said corruption at the prison was widespread.
The inspectorate's last report following an inspection in 2019 found violence and gang activity were a problem, and prisoners' access to healthcare was getting worse.
Corrections responds
Corrections' deputy commissioner of men's prisons, Neil Beales said a number of improvements had been made since the December 2023 inspection.
To ensure consistent leadership the current general manager, who has been in the job since May 2022, will stay on until August 2026 at the earliest. Two deputy general managers have also been appointed.
Staffing levels were also improving thanks to a recruitment campaign which had seen "excellent results" nationwide, Beales said.
"At the time of the inspection in December 2023, Rimutaka's frontline staffing levels were at 79 percent of available staff and the prison is now operating at 86 percent."
The extra staff also meant in-person visits resumed in March this year.
It expected to have a full team by March 2025, which would allow it to expand the availability of programmes, activities and cultural support, said Beales.
The prison was already providing rehabilitation programmes, as well as the opportunity to develop skills in primary industries, horticulture, Tikanga Māori, first aid and forklift training, he said.
And a new low security was opened in August to accommodate the growing number of remand prisoners.
"Generally remand prisoners are classified as high security but the RMT [Remand Management Tool] allows the prison to manage some remand prisoners in a less restrictive environment where it is safe to do so," said Beales.
There had also been a focus on bolstering the health team, and offering staff retention activities including violence prevention, wellness days, access to counselling, and the regular presence of a Staff Welfare Coordinator, he said.