An ombudsman’s report released on Monday criticised the Otago Corrections Facility, particularly for three areas in the prison where prisoners where constantly watched by CCTV, including when they were going to the toilet.
The report was based on a surprise visit in 2020 and also raised concerns about the use of pepper spray and around record keeping.
Moana House kaihaumanu Sean Manning, a registered psychotherapist and member of People Against Prisons Aotearoa, said Corrections facilities repeatedly responded to violence, contraband and the use of drugs in prison.
Increasing surveillance, isolation and other security measures were preferred instead of implementing measures known to reduce violence and drug use, such as enabling education, physical activity and recreational facilities, Mr Manning said.
Further, there was always a threat hanging over certain programmes run in prisons, including art and drama, or criminal behaviour interventions and drug treatment programmes, because they could not demonstrate an impact on recidivism.
"The fact that they reliably improve life for the prisoners and make prisons less dangerous, less violent, is regarded as unimportant," he said.
Increased security tended to be an immediate go-to that came at the cost of implementing long-term solutions, including better rehabilitation services, Mr Manning said.
The ombudsman’s report also found that prisoners in the management unit, where prisoners with behavioural issues are placed, had "impoverished regimes" with little or no opportunity for meaningful human interaction.
Prisoners in voluntary segregation faced similar conditions and were routinely targeted with verbal abuse by other prisoners, which was so bad that staff used golf carts to move inmates around some parts of the prison.
Violence in the prison had decreased along with its population, but both staff and prisoners said they felt unsafe, the report said.
