|
|
The Christchurch Civic
Creche Case |
|
|
|
|
3. SIMON POWER (National Rangitikei) to the Minister of Corrections: Does he have
confidence in his department; if so, why? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of
Corrections): Yes, but there is always room for improvement. Simon Power: How can there be any
credibility to his claim that corruption amongst prison guards is not a
widespread problem when, in addition to the current investigations at
Rimutaka Prison and Christchurch Prison, four guards assisted convicted
rapist Trevor Robinson to have a conjugal visit with his girlfriend while on
a hospital visit; or is it now acceptable for guards to provide this service?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I take these
allegations extremely seriously. Four Department of
Corrections officers have been placed on leave and are likely to be
suspended today. The prisoner had to be taken to hospital for medical
reasons, and the officers were given a very clear set of instructions on how
the prisoner was to be supervised, including how to manage visits. It appears
these instructions were not followed. Hon Phil Goff: Does the Minister
have greater trust and confidence in his department today because prison
escapes have fallen by 78 percent in the last 10 years, and because he does
not need to make the excuse that his National predecessor did in 1999 that
people were in prison simply on trust? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I can confirm
that escape rates have dropped by 78 percent since 1998, and that I have far
more confidence in the Department of Corrections. However, there is always
room for improvement, and we will continue to make changes. Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the
Minister tell the House which party was in Government when the Department of
Corrections was split from the Department of Justice, and which party privatised by contract the movement of prisoners in New
Zealand; and has he received any reports from that party as to the monumental
mistakes they themselves have made? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I can confirm
that in 1997 the National Government split the Department of Corrections away
from the Department of Justice in an attempt to continue the privatisation of every Government departmentin the
same way they privatised the railways, attempted to
privatise housing, and anything else they could lay
their hands on. Simon Power: Can the Minister
confirm that prison staff assisted convicted rapist Peter McNamara to father
a child by smuggling out his semen from jail; and does he stand by the
comments from his own managers, who simply shrugged it off and said that it
was not illegal? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I do not
accept those comments that it was not illegal. However, the doctor implicated
in the case has actually denied participating in any such procedure. Ron Mark: Does the Minister agree
that a transparent process is important when dealing with corruption, and
does he now agree with New Zealand First that the only way to deal
effectively with corruption in his department is to ensure that officers
found to be corrupt not only lose their jobs but are prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law and, if found guilty, sentenced, even if that means
going to jail, where they can occupy the same cells they have been
supervising for the last few years? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I treat any
claims or accusations of corruption with the most serious of efforts. That
member has assisted and brought information to me. We have passed that on,
and we will work with the police to identify, catch, and prosecute anyone in
the corrections system who may in any way be conducting inappropriate or
illegal behaviour. Simon Power: Does he agree with
the Prime Minister's statement: "I think the deprivation of liberty
means precisely that"; if so, how can the public believe that he or his
Government is really in touch with what is going on in our prisons, when
prisoners get access to R18 movies, KFC, P, PlayStation games, and LCD TVs,
and when they can even get guards to help them with conjugal visits? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: We take very
seriously all areas of responsibility within corrections, and we will
continue to make changes to improve the system to provide a higher level of
security and better outcomes from corrections than ever occurred under the
National Government. Hon Phil Goff: Have improvements
been made to security in prisons, such as in the prison in Simon Power's
electorate, Manawatk Prison, from the days under a
National Government, when the Evening Standard reported that a typical week
would see 20 to 30 nocturnal visitors making deliveries to inmates, usually
by striding over a farm fence and walking up to the cell block
windows1997? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: As a measure
of the illegal activity taking place in prisons, a random drug test is
usually fairly accurate. When the National Government was in power, random
drug tests identified over 30 percent of people using drugs in prison. That
level is now down to 13 percenta huge improvement. Simon Power: Can he tell the House
today exactly how many inquiries into corruption are going on in his
department, given that he initially told Radio New Zealand National that he
did not know, then he said there were three investigations, only to have his
staff call Radio New Zealand National to say that, actually, there were only
two investigationshow many investigations are there today? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I cannot
provide the exact number, but any allegations of corruption will be given the
highest level of priority and investigated thoroughly. Ron Mark: How does the Minister
explain conflicting comments from his department regarding recidivist sex
offender John Clarke, who is described by the Parole Board in its decision to
release him as not presenting "an undue risk to the safety of the
community", despite being described by the Department of Corrections as
having a "high risk of reoffending"; and
why is the Parole Board not being made to take heed of the advice of the
departmentor is that just another gap that this House needs to legislate
to fill? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: As has been
publicly announced on a number of occasions, we are looking to make law
changes to ensure that the Parole Board is in receipt of all relevant
information to assist it to make the right decisions. In this case I believe
that the Department of Corrections analysis was indeed accurate. Nandor Tanczos:
Is the Minister's confidence in his department diminished at all by the
review of the Parole Board, when it states that the Burton case "raises
a question as to whether the Board's expectations were reasonably capable of
being resourced by those responsible for supervision."; and, given the
longstanding concerns around monitoring and enforcement of parole conditions,
what is the Minister doing to ensure that parole conditions mean more than a
hill of beans? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: We have
recently issued clear instructions that any possible breaches of parole will
be dealt with by immediate action and contact with that parolee within 24
hours, and that the reporting times for people on life parole or the offender
warning system will be weekly until all the terms and conditions of their
parole have been met. It is always a challenging area for those probation
officers; we will continue to support them to ensure they do the best job
possible. Simon Power: Is the Minister
seriously telling this House that he has no idea how many investigations
there are into corruption in New Zealand's prison system; indeed, if he is
not telling the House that, will he please tell the House how many
investigations are currently going on into corruption in New Zealand prisons?
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I am aware of
investigations at Christchurch Prison and at Rimutaka Prison. But I would
expect that any claims, or any suspicion, would be dealt with immediately,
initially by the prison managers, and that is why I am not in the position to
identify the exact number at this moment. Ron Mark: Has the Minister seen evidence and reports stating that
Lesley Martin was denied parole by the Parole Board because of her failure to
give an unqualified acceptance of the impropriety of her offending, and
reports that the Parole Board failed to parole Peter Ellis because he refused
to accept the guilt of his crime, and can he compare those decisions to the
Parole Board's decision to give back-end home detention to John Thomas
Clarke, despite the fact that in the Parole Board's own decision it notes
that he denied his offending does that not concern the Minister? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: It is not in
my role to comment on the decisions by the Parole Board. It is my
responsibility to ensure that the corrections system is in a position to
provide all the relevant information to the Parole Board. Question interrupted. Question resumed. Question No. 3 to Minister Hon Phil Goff: Is the Minister [Interruption]
I will continue when they have settled down over there; I know that being in
Opposition is boring. Is the Minister aware of figures released by the then
Minister of Corrections, Dr Nick Smith, that 42 percent of all samples taken
from inmates in a new anti-drug regime showed that those inmates were, in
fact, drug positive, and can he assure this House that the situation in
prisons has improved markedly since the failed regime in prisons of Dr Smith
and the National Government? Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I can confirm
that random drug testing now has identified a figure of 13 percentnot 42
percent as occurred under the National Government. I consider that progress. Ron Mark: I seek leave of the
House to table the Parole Board's decision to grant recidivist sex offender
John Clarke back-end home detention, which states that he
will not present an undue risk to the safety of the community. Leave granted. Ron Mark: I seek leave to table a
report where the Department of Corrections is reported to have stated that
recidivist sex offender John Clarke has a high risk of reoffending.
Leave granted. |
