Hon Judith Collins
Minister of Corrections

23 June 2009
Media Statement

Double bunks essential to manage prison crisis

Prefabricated or container cells will not alleviate the need to double-bunk prisoners during a looming capacity crisis at New Zealand prisons, Corrections Minister Judith Collins says.

“Due to a lack of planning by the last government, our prison system will run out of baseline beds around February next year,” Ms Collins says.

“We simply cannot have the situation where prisoners are kept in prison vans or police cells. To ensure the safety of the public, we must have enough prison beds to cope with the demand.

“The Government has been forced to take immediate action. I have today asked the Department of Corrections to speed up the process of adding additional modular or container cells to prisons.

“However, that alone will not be enough and double bunking will also be necessary to manage this serious capacity crisis. Double bunking is the fastest way to add extra capacity.”

The Government will address the capacity crisis in three stages. Short-term needs will be met by double bunking and prefabricated or modular cells. These include converted shipping containers which could be bought and installed for as little as $53,000 to $63,000 per bed.

Medium-term capacity will be met by extending existing prisons. Longer-term capacity needs will require a new prison – most likely in Wiri, South Auckland.

Negotiations are under way with the Corrections Association of New Zealand (CANZ), the union representing a large proportion of Corrections Officers, on expanding the number of double-bunk cells in New Zealand prisons.

“CANZ has already suggested creating a virtual prison from double bunking. I would hope that they appreciate the seriousness of the situation we face and play a responsible role in ensuring we can house prisoners safely, securely and humanely,” Ms Collins says.

ENDS