Corrections Association of New Zealand vice-president Paul Dennehy, who is based in Dunedin, said three assaults on staff over three days at Otago Corrections Facility (OCF) last week came amid a rising tide of violence.
Mr Dennehy, who was principal Corrections officer at OCF until 2019, said today’s prisoners were more likely to be violent and have gang connections.
This meant prison officers at OCF, which has morphed into a high-security prison, were working in an increasingly volatile and dangerous environment.
"At times, prisoners give no indication of escalating tensions. Instead they can go from having a conversation with a staff member or other prisoner to launching an unprovoked, violent and potentially life-threatening assault with absolutely no warning."
It comes after a string of assaults on staff at the prison earlier this year linked to members of the hyper-violent street gang, the Crips.
In April, two officers were taken to hospital after allegedly being assaulted while a cell was being unlocked.
In June, a staff member required hospital treatment after two prisoners assaulted them while leaving the exercise yard, while in July another officer was taken to hospital after being struck on the head by an inmate.
Mr Dennehy said the environment prison staff faced today was vastly different from the one in the prison system 10 to 15 years ago.
When he started at OCF in 2008, the facility managed low-level prisoners, such as drink-drivers and fine defaulters.
"Nowadays, the prisoners we manage have to average about seven convictions before the judiciary send them to prison. Now we manage serious, violent offenders. A large and increasing majority of these are gang-affiliated prisoners, with no respect for the rule of law in the community and even less in prison, where they are surrounded by their mates and other gang members."
The spontaneous nature of the attacks "astounded" Australian corrections workers and prison staff, who kept in regular contact.
In Australia, there was often a build-up to violence in a prison, he said.
"There hasn’t historically been that level of sophistication and organisation here. [A prisoner] and I could be talking. And then all of a sudden, either you’ll punch me or someone will punch me from behind without much of an inkling of anything.
"If I knew what made it worse I’d be a millionaire."
There was no singular blame for the assaults and multiple reasons were cited such as family issues, gang tensions and mental health issues.
"Whatever the reason, the ongoing level of assaults on Corrections officers is unacceptable."
The workplace had become a more dangerous space.
"In the last year, and despite a reduced muster, we have again seen an increase in the level of assaults on Corrections officers and this is unacceptable."
He was aware of many staff who had left the line of work to take lower-paying jobs that came without the risk of being assaulted or having bodily fluids thrown at them.
"If you work in a prison, your family are automatically nervous for you."
OCF general manager Dave Miller said many of the prisoners staff worked with could behave unpredictably and act without warning.
Violence at the facility was something that could not be eliminated, Mr Miller said.
"We are committed to doing everything possible to minimise this risk and provide the safest environment possible for staff and prisoners."
The site continually reviewed and made changes to the daily operating model and regimes to improve safety, he said.
"They are also focused on ensuring any prisoners who use violence are held to account through being moved to the management unit, reviews of their security classification, internal misconduct charges and/or referral to police for consideration of criminal prosecution."
There was no evidence suggesting any of the three assaults from last week were linked and only one of those was linked to a member of the Crips, he said.
"At present, there is no higher-than-usual gang tensions at Otago Corrections Facility."
