[ad_1]
The starvation tactics used during the Waikeria riots are responding to criticism from a former head of the prison system.
During the six-day uprising at the Waikato prison, the Department of Corrections withheld food and water from more than a dozen inmates on the roof before their surrender around noon Sunday.
Corrections Executive Director Jeremy Lightfoot said that during the correctional riots they had not provided additional food or water to inmates as that could be part of the negotiation process.
But New Zealand’s justice reform advocate and former head of prisons Sir Kim Workman said the attempt to starve the prisoners was not in the spirit of Hōkai Rangi, the department’s new strategy that emphasizes “humanization and the healing”.
READ MORE:
* Waikeria Prison Surrender: Family Members Claim Complaints About ‘Disgusting’ Conditions Performed, Despite Corrections Saying Otherwise
* Waikeria Prison Riot: ‘Violent’ inmates storm gun room, fear staff could be attacked
* Waikeria prison rioters are ‘commendable’ – anti-prison group
* There is a long way to go towards a better prison system for Maori
The department said it remained proud of the actions of its staff during the unrest while awaiting the findings of two ongoing reviews of the disorder.
A spokesman for Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said his expectation was that the department’s staff actions would be in line with Hōkai Rangi, but was awaiting the outcome of the reviews to see if there were “areas for improvement.”
Do you know more? Email [email protected]
Hōkai Rangi is the overall Corrections strategy for 2019-2024. The material provided at the time of its release says that it has the concept of oranga, or wellness, at its heart.
The department says the strategy should foster the spirit of “humanization and healing” in a system in which people are seen as a whole and worthy of dignity and care.
Dominico Zapata / Things
Prisoners on the roof during the riot.
The mutiny represented significant test of Hōkai Rangi’s strategy, which has previously been criticized for encouraging officers to refer to prisoners as “men in our care” and to call them by their first names.
A report by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier published in August 2020, following an unannounced visit the previous year, found that the cells of the prison’s High Security Unit were in poor condition.
“They were stuffy and uncomfortably hot,” Boshier said.
“Most of the cells had capacity for two tāne, but they only had one chair and did not have enough storage space.”
Furthermore, inmates in the unit eat in their bunk beds near an uncovered toilet, which Boshier said was unacceptable, especially in a prison where 67 percent of the population was Maori.
“Tāne having to eat so close to the bathroom is, in my opinion, unhealthy and culturally inappropriate.”
Workman is a former police officer and criminal justice reform advocate who was previously the director of operations for prisons in what was the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1993. He was appointed to the Board of Parole in 2020.
He said the starvation tactics used by Corrections during the riot, such as the conditions highlighted in the Ombudsman’s report, went against the new approach.
Ross Giblin / Stuff
Sir Kim Workman believes that the starvation tactics went against the new strategy.
“All of that is incompatible with Hōkai Rangi’s vision.”
For rehabilitation to occur, inmates cannot be placed in programs and then treated poorly when they are not participating in the programs, he said.
“Rehabilitation is not just about running programs, more fundamentally it is about providing an environment in which rehabilitation can occur.”
Lightfoot, the executive director of Corrections, said the incident was consistent with the new strategy.
Corrections is fully committed to achieving the results of the Hōkai Rangi strategy, however, our staff must also take appropriate action when faced with violent actions that endanger the lives of others.
“We are unapologetic for the actions our staff took and ultimately resulted in a safe end to the situation.”
“Corrections is proud of the actions and courage carried out by its staff in response to the incident at the Waikeria prison.”
KEVIN STENT
Corrections Executive Director Jeremy Lightfoot at a press conference after he ended up in the Waikeria prison on Sunday.
A spokesman for Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said he was awaiting the outcome of the dual reviews, an operational review conducted by the Director of Corrections Custody, and an independent investigation led by the Chief Inspector with outside assistance.
“The Minister’s expectation is that the Correction actions are in line with Hōkai Rangi, but he will wait for the reviews to be completed to see if there are areas where there could be improvements.”
A police spokeswoman said it was too early to comment on charges that may be brought against the men.
“Now a complex investigation is underway, which may take several months.”
