Amnesty International Report 1994 - New Zealand

Several inmates in two prisons were reportedly ill-treated by prison officers. Prison officers were reported to have ill-treated inmates in Mount Crawford Prison in Wellington and Mangaroa Jail, near Hastings, during the year. Several inmates of the remand wing at Mount Crawford Prison alleged that some prison officials subjected them to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including verbal abuse and physical brutality such as being beaten while handcuffed. Between June and August, seven officers from Mount Crawford Prison were suspended and one of them was dismissed after an independent inquiry by private investigators appointed by the Justice Department. The inquiry report, which was submitted to the Justice Department, identified 44 instances of ill-treatment over a 30-month period. Eighty per cent of the complaints were of alleged assault. Similar complaints from inmates at Mangaroa Jail came to light in June and July. Some Mangaroa Jail prison officers, known as "designated hitters", were used by the prison authorities to beat inmates. The complaints included prolonged assaults lasting several days, the abuse of confidential information to harass or degrade inmates, and the neglect of care, especially of suicidal inmates. Twelve prison officers were dismissed by the Department of Justice in June after an official investigation into allegations of cruelty at the jail. However, the investigation had not led to criminal prosecutions of any Mangaroa Jail staff by the end of the year. A second independent investigation into the management of Mangaroa Jail found the same instances of ill-treatment of prisoners and added that there was evidence of similar practices in other prisons. The second report, which was made public in July, recommended the setting-up of an independent prison complaints authority, a review of prison staff recruitment and improved training. The Justice Minister stated that many of the report's recommendations would be implemented. In September Amnesty International wrote to the authorities about the reported incidents of ill-treatment at Mount Crawford Prison and Mangaroa Jail. Amnesty International asked what steps the government had taken in response to the allegations of cruelty and called on it to ensure that prisoners' rights were fully respected. The government replied in November, stating that the New Zealand prison system had embarked on "far-reaching reforms".