Where's the evidence on private prison brutality?

new-zealand-national-party

Wed Apr 30 2003 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Where's the evidence on private prison brutality?

Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 5:31 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

National wants the Greens to produce evidence to back up their claim that the operator of New Zealand's private prison has a record of allowing officer brutality and sexual misconduct in its prisons in Australia.

"In Parliament today the Greens sought to claim that officer brutality and sexual misconduct were features of privately run prisons," says National's Corrections spokesman, Tony Ryall.

"The Greens fail to realise that in recent times, the public prisons in New Zealand have seen huge compensation payments to prisoners for officer brutality, as well as the severe beating of a prisoner in Wanganui last month and officer-inmate sex in a Canterbury prison.

"In making these claims in Parliament, the Greens should produce evidence and allow the company to respond.

"If the company does allow such behaviour by its officers, then why were its contracts renewed in Australia?

"The fact is the Auckland Central Remand Prison is the standout performer of our prison system. It makes the publicly run prisons look bad, and that's why the Labour Government wants to get rid of the competition," says Mr Ryall.

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