Sub-human standards no solution for Dunedin

Dunedin’s prison problems should not lead to the resurrection of sub-human facilities for its inmates and staff, says Green Party MP Metiria Turei.

“The Green Party acknowledges the need for more beds due to overcrowding, but the overcrowding is a direct result of the obsession of this Government and opposition parties with the rhetoric of being tough on crime while touting policies that fail to address crime reduction,” Mrs Turei says.

“It is horrifying that the Department thinks this facility is even worth considering as an option. The conditions inside are appalling. The exercise yard is completely inadequate; visiting families have no option but to crowd into a tiny and poorly equipped room; there are no toilets for visitors to use. If kids need to use the bathroom while visiting their dad, they have to walk to the Railway Station down the road.

“Conditions for staff are hardly any better, and I am amazed that the Corrections Association is standing by while the future of their members is decided by people who work in comfy offices, not in a cold, cramped museum piece which the Dunedin City Council sees fit, quite rightly, to promote as a tourist attraction.”

“The Green Party is working with the Government and other parties on ways to decrease recidivism and support better rehabilitation and habilitation. Early intervention is a key issue in reducing prison numbers, as is providing real alternatives so that prisoners leave prison with options and the ability to reintegrate into society,” Mrs Turei says.

“The Green Party has been a strong advocate for focusing on reducing New Zealand’s high imprisonment rate. New prisons do not come cheaply, and while the financial cost to the taxpayer has been high, the societal cost of locking people up ad infinitum is even higher.”

The old prison building is a classic example of Victorian architecture, a period known for its inhuman treatment of marginal society members through such institutions as workhouses and psychiatric institutions like Bedlam.

“Victorian architects had very different ideas of appropriate prison housing than modern society and their solutions should not become ours” Mrs Turei says.