Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Increase in Double Bunking Pure Folly


Mahesh Bindra MP
Spokesperson for Corrections
29 JULY 2015


Increase in Double Bunking Pure Folly

Disaster looms over Mt Eden prison unless double bunking is stopped, with its population exceeding its maximum today, says New Zealand First.

“The National Government decided to squeeze prisoners into the cells of an already unsafe prison, says New Zealand First Corrections Spokesperson Mahesh Bindra.

“There is no surprise that now it is in crisis under a private, profit making company

“Mt Eden is slipping into Third World status, where crowded prisons and lack of staff are the norm, because the government has allowed Serco to put its low staffing, profit making model in place.

“Bringing a profit making foreign corporation in has only worsened the situation.

“Double bunking and staff shortages are part of Mt Eden’s problems, and National wants to continue to add another 100 beds into this already over-crowded prison.

“National started to put two prisoners in a cell designed for one and it’s dangerous.

“SERCO staff are still working at Mt Eden and under SERCO’s staffing model, which is not the effective staff to prisoner ratio that Corrections-run public prisons use.

“We don’t understand why the government continues to put lives at risk by overfilling Mt Eden when there is capacity at other prisons – it’s pure folly,” says Mr Bindra, a former Senior Corrections Officer.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.