New Zealand Hall of Shame

Auckland Central Remand Prison
Geo Group
September 28, 2009 NZCity
Further doubt is being cast on the claimed efficiency of privately run prisons. The Green Party's pointing to evidence presented during Selected Committee hearings on private prisons legislation about the historical cost of the Auckland Remand Prison when it was in private hands. The Greens say it shows the cost per prisoner was over $57 thousand a year compared to around $50 thousand in the public system. The party says it proves there can be no justification for claims private prisons are cheaper than public ones. Meanwhile, special monitors are being proposed as part of the oversight for privately run prisons. Parliament's Law and Order Select Committee has reported back on the private prisons bill and is recommending additional checks and balances be put in place. It advises special monitors employed by the Department of Corrections be given free and unfettered access to the facilities to ensure proper standards are met. The Committee also recommends all private prison operators be required to comply with instructions from the Chief Executive of the Corrections Department.

July 31, 2009 Radio New Zealand
ACT MP David Garrett says he does not believe he intimidated two submitters to Parliament's law and order select committee, as alleged by the Labour Party. Labour Party MP Clayton Cosgrove believes Mr Garrett breached parliamentary privilege when he told two prison guards their submission would stop them from getting a job in a privately run prison. He says Mr Garrett's behaviour was shameful, and brought the select committee process into disrepute. Mr Cosgrove says the guards had experience working under private prison management and were providing expert opinions. Corrections Minister Judith Collins has also weighed in, saying the comments were totally inappropriate. But Mr Garrett says it was never his intention to intimidate, and he is looking forward to responding to Labour's complaint. Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith will decide whether to refer the matter to Parliament's privileges committee.

July 29, 2009 3 News
An MP from government confidence and supply party ACT today told prison officers who spoke out against private prisons that they had hurt their future job prospects. David Garrett's remark came hot on the heals of accusations yesterday that the Government attempted to intimidate and silence people. Those claims were sparked by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett releasing benefit details of two women who criticised a government decision to cut a training allowance. Today a group of prison officers, representing 30 officers who had previously worked for a privately run prison, made a submission to Parliament's law and order select committee which is considering legislation to enable private operators to run prisons. After Bart Birch, Uaea Leavasa and Satish Prasad criticised how Auckland Central Remand Prison was run under private contractor GEO Ltd between 2000 and 2005, Mr Garrett weighed in. "You say that you don't want to go back to working in this environment - to the private (sector). You'd be aware that given your submission here, you wouldn't get offered a job anyway, would you?" Other MPs on the committee were visibly disturbed by the remark and National's Shane Ardern was quick to reassure the men they should feel free to speak their minds before a committee of Parliament. "Can I say from my own party you can sit here without fear or favour," he said. Acting chairman on the committee Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove added his support for Mr Ardern's remark. Corrections Association of New Zealand president Beven Hanlon told NZPA he thought the remark out of line. The union already had concerns about Mr Garrett's involvement in the Sensible Sentencing Trust which advocates for tougher and longer sentencing. "All the things that private prisons advocate for," he said. "For him to then threaten staff over (their) future employment is a great concern." Mr Cosgrove described the comment as "Bennett mark two". "(People) should be able to come to a select committee without fear or favour to give their view." Mr Garrett's tone had been badgering and he carried that style on when other submitters made presentations, Mr Cosgrove said. "I think he needs to learn that we live in a democracy and in a democracy ... you're allowed to have a view and we should (give) people the respect of actually listening. "But he's behaving like a bully and I guess it is Paula Bennett mark two." Mr Garrett stood by his comment when questioned by media. "They were quite clearly extremely negative about the private prison managing company. It would seem to be most unlikely they would get a job with that company." He agreed the select committee process should be open and MPs should not stymie free exchange but did not think he had affected that. "They have the right to say whatever they like ... I didn't see I was stymying free debate at all." Asked why he felt compelled to talk about the officers' job prospects rather than ask questions about the bill, Mr Garrett said their motives were relevant and he had no regrets. "It was certainly no attempt to stifle the debate." Mr Garrett walked away when NZPA asked him to comment on the union view it was a threatening remark. In their submission, the officers said they had worked both for GEO and the Corrections Department. Under private management the focus was on protecting the company's reputation. They said under GEO staff were told to resign rather than have negligence revealed, an incident where a woman allegedly helped a relative escape was not investigated, and systems were not robust in areas like drug control and suicide. Another complaint was that GEO paid less for local workers and used contractors from Australia to fill gaps who were on salaries as much as $30,000 higher. Those contractors appeared unaware of cultural issues for Maori and Pacific inmates. Other casual workers were used and had lower levels of training and experience than full time staff who were not familiar with the prison, which raised risk levels.

July 1, 2009 The National Business Review
The State should be responsible for prisoners not private companies, the Human Rights Commission said today. Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan appeared before Parliament's law and order select committee which is considering the Corrections (Contract Management of Prisons Amendment) Bill. Senior managers from private prison company GEO Group were present and heard groups condemn their business. The firm ran Auckland Central Remand Prison (ACRP) for five years until Labour won the 1999 election and refused to renew its contract. Ms Noonan said protecting the rights of detainees was a key function of government and should not be contracted out. "The management of prisons involves the exercise of some of the state's most coercive powers against individuals," the commission's submission said. "There should be direct accountability for the exercise of such powers. A government department directly accountable to a minister provides the clearest accountability." If the bill was to go ahead the commission wanted its monitoring measures beefed up. Recommendations included protecting staff from being sacked if they gave information to monitors and permitting prisoners to complain directly to monitors. Also prisons should be required to comply with international conventions around torture. Ms Noonan said early intervention would make the biggest difference. She called for willingness across parties not to make political capital out of the issue. Catholic organisation Caritas was concerned problems in the United States' private prisons -- such as beatings, rapes, suicides and other deaths in custody -- would be repeated here. It noted that in the US the same people running private prisons were also involved in lobbying government for longer sentences. GEO Group Australia managing director Pieter Bezuidenhout said his company had managed prisons in Australia for 17 years, operating in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.

July 19, 2006 NewstalkZB
The Government has no plans to privatise prisons. United Future leader Peter Dunne has asked about the Government's plans for prisons following a Treasury report revealing each inmate costs $77,000 a year to be cared for. The report recommends competition for prison services be introduced. Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor is ruling out privatisation. He says it is $10,000 a year cheaper to keep inmates in public prisons than the private Auckland Central Remand Prison.

July 19, 2005 Stuff
An inmate in Auckland's former private prison who stowed away in a shipping container to depart New Zealand should be sent back here to face rape charges, says a Fiji court. The Suva Magistrate's Court recommended that Shumendra Nilesh Chandra, 30, a computer operator, of Auckland be sent back to New Zealand. Australasian Correctional Management, which managed Auckland Central Remand Prison until its contract expired recently, had to pay the Government $50,000 for the escape, under the terms of its contract. The company said at the time that its investigation into how Chandra allegedly slipped his handcuffs and fled guards was unable to find out how he did it.

July 12, 2005 Scoop
The GEO Group, holders of the private management contract for the Auckland Central Remand Prison, said today that although they were extremely disappointed that the contract had come to a close they would like to thank all of those people who have supported them during their time in New Zealand. The contract ends at midnight on July 12.

September 18, 2003
A leading lawyer says the Government's Corrections Bill will significantly reduce Maori participation in the areas of prison management and operations. The attached opinion from Jack Hodder of Chapman Tripp says that handing an exclusive monopoly to the public prison service to manage all prisons "will leave only a peripheral role for Maori service providers in relation to prison management and operations". The opinion was commissioned by Iwi Whanui O Tamaki Makaurau, an advisory board representing six northern iwi in a formal partnership with Auckland Central Remand Prison (ACRP), New Zealand's only privately managed prison. "Maori were involved in selecting the current management provider and have formed a partnership with the prison management in which Maori are involved in all areas of the prison, including the development of all programmes and processes. (Scoop)

April 28, 2003
Acting Corrections Minister Margaret Wilson acknowledges the three-year consultation period on the Corrections Bill did not cover privately-run prisons. Now the bill is before the law and order select committee. However, the public has until August 21 to comment. "The government has no argument with how ACM (Australasian Correctional Management) has managed the prison. The government's view is that the management of prisons is a core activity of the state, involving the use of highly coercive powers against individuals, and that it is inappropriate for private sector organizations to exercise such powers," she says. (Sunday Star Times)

March 7, 2003
The Government will phase out the private management of prisons. Introducing a bill yesterday to overhaul the way jails are run, Acting Corrections Minister Margaret Wilson said managing prisons was a "core activity of the state". The change will take effect from July 12, 2005, when the sole contract to run a prison, held by Australasian Correctional Management, expires for the Auckland Central Remand Prison. "Prisons by their very nature involve the use of highly coercive powers against individuals," said Ms Wilson. "The Government believes that it is inappropriate for private-sector organisations to wield such power." Prison general manager Dom Karauria said he was extremely disappointed. The company had planned to submit tenders to run one or two of the new prisons being built round the country, but would now focus on gaining contracts to provide health services in jail. "Whilst this is disappointing for us, it doesn't mean the end of ACM in New Zealand." (The New Zealand Herald)

Mount Eden Prison
Mount Eden, New Zealand
Serco
October 19, 2011 3 News
Two staff at Mt Eden Prison have been suspended after notorious escapee Aaron Forden broke out of the jail on October 10. Forden, dubbed "Houdini" for his serial escapes from custody, was recaptured in Auckland on Monday after a week on the run. Forden was the first inmate to break out of the new Mt Eden Corrections Facility, working with another prisoner to flee through a service way. The second inmate was recaptured but Forden got away, in a suspected waiting vehicle. The privately-managed prison is run by British-based company Serco, which could face a hefty fine over the escape. Serco Asia Pacific spokesman Paul Shaw confirmed to NZ Newswire that two prison staff had been suspended "pending the outcome of investigations". He said he was unable to comment further on the suspensions while the investigations were ongoing.

October 18, 2011 Stuff
''Houdini'' jail-breaker Aaron Forden spent seven days ''laying low'' with the help of associates, after escaping from Auckland's Mt Eden prison last week, police say. The 30-year-old was arrested just before 7pm last night at a residential address in Silverdale. Police also arrested a 24-year-old female living at the property and charged her with being an accessory after the fact. Auckland Police Detective Sergeant Iain Chapman says the week-long hunt for Forden included visits to various members of his family and friends. Known for dying his hair and changing his looks while on the run, Forden's appearance was unchanged this time.

October 12, 2011 Northern Advocate
A man with the ability to change his appearance like a chameleon to evade capture could be headed for familiar territory - Northland. Police are warning members of the public they should not approach 30-year-old Aaron Forden, who is considered unpredictable and dangerous, after he escaped from the new Mount Eden Corrections Facility on Monday. The notorious escape artist is the first person to escape from the new $218 million private prison. Whangarei Detective Steve Chamberlain said Forden had family and criminal links in Northland and that anyone who spotted him in the region should contact police immediately.

October 10, 2011 3 News
Private prison operator SERCO faces a $150,000 fine after the man nicknamed “Houdini” escaped from its custody. Aaron Forden scaled the perimeter fence of Mt Eden Corrections Facility early this morning. He was pursued by a police dog, but got away in a waiting car. Forden used knotted bed sheets to escape from Mt Eden Prison in 2008. “I would consider him to be unpredictable and therefore dangerous and that members of the public should not approach him,” says Detective Sergeant Iain Chapman. “But it’s only with assistance from the public and his associates that we will catch him.” Forden is known to change his appearance to avoid capture.

August 10, 2011 Stuff
Auckland's Mt Eden prison operator Serco has been accused of bribing inmates with bigger helpings of food and televisions in their cells to encourage them to behave. The prison officers' union, the Corrections Association, said that in addition to larger meals, Serco served dessert every night, unheard of in the State prison system, Radio New Zealand reported. Association president Beven Hanlon said the "luxuries" allowed the private prison operator to get by with a skeleton crew but guards were feeling vulnerable and leaving on a daily basis. Serco said in a statement the televisions must be paid for by the inmates and the quantities of food served and the number of officers employed were both appropriate.

June 1, 2011 Radio NZ
New Zealand's only private prison will begin housing inmates from Wednesday but concern has already been expressed about staffing levels. British company Serco is running the new Mount Eden jail for at least the next six years. The company's contract with the Government doesn't stipulate minimum staffing and the main prison guards union is worried the staff-to-inmate ratio won't be right. Corrections Association president Bevan Hanlon says the approximately 960 inmates were handled by 427 prison guards under public management but that number has dropped to 200 under private management. Serco rejects the figures, though is refusing to say exactly how many staff it has for reasons of security and commercial sensitivity.

New South Wales
July 25, 2010 Radio New Zealand News
The parent company of a private firm bidding to run services at Mount Eden prison has been ordered to repay $US20 million it overcharged customers in the United States. International firm Sodexo, which owns Kalyx, the company vying for the Auckland contract, was providing catering services to private schools and a university in New York. Sodexo overcharged for its services over five years and the New York State's Attorney General has ordered it to pay $US20 million. The office of the Corrections Minister, Judith Collins, says the minister cannot comment on whether this will affect Kalyx's bid, because the tender process is still underway. The minister's spokesperson says the privatisation plans have checks and balances set up to avoid these situations. He says observers from the Corrections Department will monitor privately run prisons. Green MP David Clendon says despite New York state monitoring of the private firm, it took a whistleblower to expose the five-year period of overpayment.

March 19, 2003
Public sector employees today applauded a Carr government commitment to keep NSW prisons in the public domain. Public Service Association (PSA) secretary Marie O'Sullivan said members were unhappy with state opposition leader John Brogden's plan to press ahead with more private prisons. "I am delighted that the government intends to have prisons in NSW run by the government and I am very happy that no overseas interests will be able to garner profit from people's incarceration," Ms O'Sullivan said. The Labor Party said all existing and new jails in NSW would be operated by the public sector, with the exception of Junee jail, which has been privately-run for a decade. "Laws are made by the government and justice is administered by the government via government-appointed judges and those who ... are sent to jail should be supervised by government-appointed officers," Ms O'Sullivan said. (AAP)

New Zealand Parliament
October 15, 2011 Stuff
Private prison bosses will be able to decide inmates' security classifications, under new laws which also grant wider strip search powers. Corrections Minister Judith Collins introduced legislation to Parliament yesterday to enhance prison security, toughen up drug-testing and crack down on businesses behind bars. The Corrections Amendment Bill 2011 allows officers to "visually examine" body cavities and use instruments for searches. Staff can also search without managerial approval. And every inmate who returns from court, or other escorted outings, will be searched. The new laws allow contractors to make decisions about the temporary release or removal of a prisoner from their jail. Private prison bosses will also have the authority to reconsider security classifications. At the moment Corrections chief executive Ray Smith, or senior managers, determine the level. A private prison is planned for Wiri, South Auckland, although Prime Minister John Key said this week it may not be needed. Green Party corrections spokesman David Clendon said the changes were unacceptable. "A private manager can be fined if they allow escapes. In that context they are going to be very risk averse and use the high classification rather than the lower one." Only low to medium security prisoners are permitted to work outside the prison. High security inmates are not allowed to join programmes like Whare Oranga Ake. Mr Clendon is concerned about searches without approval. "I have to be cynical and say how long before searches like that, or simply even the threat, are used as punishment?"

July 28, 2010 Scoop
A private prison company that is bidding to run Mt Eden remand prison is under scrutiny in Australia for failing to make recommended changes after a high profile death in custody, said the Green Party today. An Australian parliamentary inquiry this week has heard that G4S has not implemented all the recommendations of an inquiry into the death of an Aboriginal elder in 2008. In particular, G4S has not been providing training to its workers in remote areas, according to Ian Johnston, the Australian Department of Corrective Services Commissioner. Green Party Corrections spokesperson David Clendon said “All of the prison corporations bidding to run Mt Eden remand prison have skeletons in their closets. It’s time for John Key’s Government to review whether any of these companies are suitable to operate in New Zealand,” said. “It is not good enough for the Minister to hide behind the tender process. She needs to let the public know what the minimum standards are for prison corporations who want to operate in New Zealand.” There had been two damning reports of G4S UK operations in the last month and now their Australian operations were coming under scrutiny, added Mr Clendon. “New Zealand’s public prisons are a long way from perfect but the evidence shows that privatisation is no magic bullet. It will not make our prisons safer, better or cheaper. “The community and public sector have lots of good innovative ideas about how the prison system can be improved. The Government should listen to them rather than flogging off prison management to corporations. “Private prisons have to make a profit, which means either cut backs on staff levels and rehabilitation, or charging more per prisoner. The perverse incentive to make a profit out of prisoners is at the heart of the problem,” said Mr Clendon.

July 25, 2010 Radio New Zealand News
The parent company of a private firm bidding to run services at Mount Eden prison has been ordered to repay $US20 million it overcharged customers in the United States. International firm Sodexo, which owns Kalyx, the company vying for the Auckland contract, was providing catering services to private schools and a university in New York. Sodexo overcharged for its services over five years and the New York State's Attorney General has ordered it to pay $US20 million. The office of the Corrections Minister, Judith Collins, says the minister cannot comment on whether this will affect Kalyx's bid, because the tender process is still underway. The minister's spokesperson says the privatisation plans have checks and balances set up to avoid these situations. He says observers from the Corrections Department will monitor privately run prisons. Green MP David Clendon says despite New York state monitoring of the private firm, it took a whistleblower to expose the five-year period of overpayment.

September 28, 2009 NZCity
Further doubt is being cast on the claimed efficiency of privately run prisons. The Green Party's pointing to evidence presented during Selected Committee hearings on private prisons legislation about the historical cost of the Auckland Remand Prison when it was in private hands. The Greens say it shows the cost per prisoner was over $57 thousand a year compared to around $50 thousand in the public system. The party says it proves there can be no justification for claims private prisons are cheaper than public ones. Meanwhile, special monitors are being proposed as part of the oversight for privately run prisons. Parliament's Law and Order Select Committee has reported back on the private prisons bill and is recommending additional checks and balances be put in place. It advises special monitors employed by the Department of Corrections be given free and unfettered access to the facilities to ensure proper standards are met. The Committee also recommends all private prison operators be required to comply with instructions from the Chief Executive of the Corrections Department.

September 4, 2009 Radio New Zealand
The Speaker of the House has decided not to uphold two privileges complaints against ACT MP David Garrett. The complaints centre around incidents during sessions of Parliament's law and order select committee. In the first complaint, Labour Party MP Clayton Cosgrove accused Mr Garrett of bullying people at select committee. During a hearing on private prisons legislation, Mr Garrett told two prison guards their submission would stop them getting a job in a privately-run prison. The second complaint stemmed from a closed, select committee session. Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni alleged that Mr Garrett challenged Mr Cosgrove to "take this outside" following an exchange between the men. Speaker Lockwood Smith has not upheld the complaints, with his office saying it was found there was no question of privilege to answer. Mr Garrett says the complaints were a waste of time and resources and little more than a publicity stunt by the Labour MPs. However, Mr Cosgrove says Mr Garrett's behaviour has fallen short of that expected of an MP. Mr Cosgrove believes there was a breach of privilege, but says the final decision lies with the Speaker.

Public Service Association
July 13, 2005 Scoop
The Public Service Association (PSA) is welcoming the return of the Auckland Central Remand Prison to the public prisons service. The Public Service Association (PSA) is New Zealand’s largest state sector union, and has a growing membership at the Department of Corrections. The contract between the Department and Australasian Correctional Management Limited to run the remand prison expired overnight. It will now be run by the Department of Corrections. PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott said workers employed by the private prison operator had, in effect, made the operation profitable since they were employed on poorer terms and conditions than the rest of the nation’s prison staff. “Imprisoning people for the crimes they have committed is a core role of the state and it should never be hived off to a private operator for profit. “The ACRP experiment proved that the exercise was a simple cost-cutting exercise of the type imposed across the public sector during the 1990s. “It employed fewer officers per inmate and paid them less than staff employed by Corrections at all the other prisons across the country. “At a time when Corrections is finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain quality staff it beggars belief that National would advocate greater use of private prison contracts. More private prisons would inevitably drag down pay and conditions for all prison staff and make recruitment even harder. “National’s advocacy of tougher, longer sentences for a wider range of offences means it must be planning to employ many more prison staff. We have to ask who they think is going to staff them?,” Brenda Pilott said.