University of Auckland criminology lecturer Emmy Rākete says the Government’s announcement of $1.9 billion for prison construction will do more harm than good. The academic, who is also the press spokesperson for People Against Prisons Aotearoa, says the move will only entrench a failing system.

“The Government is proposing we build an American-style megaprison in New Zealand. This prison would be twice as large as our current largest prison, which is already so huge it’s unmanageable. New Zealand doesn’t need and can’t support megaprisons like this.”

“Corrections is already unable to staff prisons at its current size, because we are just imprisoning too many people. The solution is not bigger prisons, but a smaller imprisoned population. We have to invest in transitional housing, in-community rehabilitation, benefits, housing, and jobs - these are what actually make society safer.”

“The American-style megaprison the Government wants to dump on Waikato would tear almost 2,000 people away from their families and lock them in concrete cells. These are conditions in which people cannot be rehabilitated. The Waikeria Megaprison is an insane idea that would never work, which would waste money, and which would hurt people.”

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