An Invercargill prisoner who squirted urine at a Department of Corrections officer through a prison hatch has been placed on directed segregation.
"When a Corrections officer attempted to deliver the medication through the cell door hatch, the man became aggressive, abusing and threatening, before squirting urine through the hatch at the Corrections officer."
The man refused to comply and remained aggressive and abusive to staff.
"Staff responded well to de-escalate the situation and were able to move him to the ISU without further incident in a short space of time."
While there were no injuries to staff or the prisoner as a result of the incident, assaults on staff were unacceptable, Mr Tamati said.
"Prisons can be volatile environments. Our staff are trained to work with some of New Zealand’s most complex people, with over 80% of the prison population having had convictions for violence in their offending histories and more than 90% having had a lifetime diagnosis of a mental health or substance abuse disorder.
"Many of the prisoners our staff work with can behave unpredictably and act without warning."
Prisoners who resorted to this type of behaviour would be held to account, Mr Tamati said.
"The prisoner has been placed on directed segregation and will be charged with misconduct."
