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Prison fights prompt call to boot Serco

Author
Jacqui Stanford,
Publish Date
Sun, 19 Jul 2015, 6:30am

Prison fights prompt call to boot Serco

Author
Jacqui Stanford,
Publish Date
Sun, 19 Jul 2015, 6:30am

Labour wants Mt Eden Prison's private operator Serco to lose its contract.

Following revelations of organised fight clubs, footage has emerged showing prisoners apparently drinking, smoking drugs, and using a guard's radio.

Labour believes only more will come out about what is happening at Mt Eden Prison.

Its Corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis said he's also been told members of the Killer Beez gang have been dropping other inmates off balconies.

He said the Corrections Minister is "probably waiting for that to appear on YouTube before he believes it and investigates it."

The Minister has stated Serco's contract to run the Mt Eden prison will be reviewed if it's found prisoner safety has been compromised and processes haven't been followed.

Davis is questioning how Corrections can investigate Serco anyway, saying it's basically Corrections investigating itself.

He believes taxpayers need to know prisons are being operated properly.

The Minister of Corrections Sam Lotu-liga has ordered the Chief Executive of Corrections to widen the scope of a review into prison incidents to including new ones surfacing.

The review has two phases. The first looking at social media posts, and the second at evidence of organised prisoner fights.

The Minister says the first stage of the review will be complete by the end of August, the second by the end of September.

 

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