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The Department of Corrections has called police over a prison pamphlet expressing support for a destructive riot at Waikeria Prison, concerned that the material could incite another riot.
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis seemed eager to publish the pamphlet on Tuesday, saying it quoted Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi and was a sign of his “irresponsible behavior.”
Davis and Corrections have faced increasing pressure from both sides of the House this week in the aftermath of the Waikeria prison riot, in which 17 men burned a portion of the prison in a six-day standoff, and by the treatment of female inmates in Auckland Women’s Prison.
The February pamphlet by the abolitionist group People Against Prisons Aotearoa (Pope), which denies it advocates for the riots, encourages peaceful and persistent protest actions, such as the prison labor strike, before describing the “extreme radical action” taken in the prison from Waikeria as successful.
Dominico Zapata / Things
Prisoners on the roof of a unit at Waikeria Prison following riots during a six-day standoff over the New Years period, which ended on January 3.
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“You can make your own decision about their actions. Read their words: Everything they say about prisons is correct, ”the brochure reads.
“They were burning the unit to take a stand for future generations … It may seem extreme that the protesters from the Waikeria uprising gave up the grievance system and burned the unit. But they succeed where everyone else failed. “
Waititi was quoted in the brochure as saying: “When justice becomes law, defiance becomes duty.”
KEVIN STENT
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says a pamphlet distributed to prisoners was forwarded to police.
In the House on Tuesday afternoon, Labor appeared willing to reveal concerns surrounding the brochure and use it as political fodder.
Labor MP Ginny Andersen asked Davis a follow-up question as Te Pāti Māori questioned him: “Is the minister aware of any publications inciting riots being distributed to prisoners?”
“Yes. A publication has been distributed encouraging prisoners to rebel, citing a member of the Maori Party,” he said in the House.
“I said from the beginning that the involvement of politicians in some prison matters would only serve to embolden and encourage more life-threatening events for prisoners and staff.”
Davis, speaking to reporters afterward, said the brochure came to the attention of his office after an inmate handed it over to the Corrections office.
“I prefer not to go into details because it has been referred to the police … The content is basically inciting people to disorder in prisons.
“I just thought it was really inappropriate and my concern is actually for the safety of correctional officers … If people are encouraged to create disorder and presence, that is completely unacceptable.”
ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
Rawiri Waititi, fellow Maori party, at the Casa.
Papa’s spokeswoman, Emilie Rākete, said the pamphlet did not encourage rioting at all, and Davis was deploying a “cheap tactic” to distract from criticism.
“This is a flimsy sideshow for a week in which the systematic failures of the Department of Corrections and the personal failures of Kelvin Davis have become very clear.”
In a statement, a Corrections spokeswoman said security was the “top priority.”
“We take all potential threats to the safety of our people, prisoners and sites very seriously,” he said.
“An inmate was concerned about the content of this document and communicated it to staff. We have reviewed it and subsequently referred it to the police for their consideration.
“We have comprehensive plans to mitigate and respond to a wide range of risks.”
These plans included the identification and analysis of the information, the daily evaluation and the report of the tension in each prison unit, the segregation processes when considered necessary and the follow-up of the telephone calls of the prisoners.
Directors of prisons have been reminded of their ability to withhold mail and property from inmates under sections 43 and 108 of the Corrections Act of 2004, the spokeswoman said.
Waititi said Tuesday that Davis should launch an urgent investigation into the treatment of female inmates after the riots and the treatment of two inmates at Auckland Women’s Prison.
RNZ reported Monday that Manukau District Court Judge David McNaughton had discovered that Corrections broke its own rule and regulations several times at the prison when pepper spray gassed inmates Mihi Bassett and Karma Cripps, who had protested their treatment.
