Prison guards who don't want to work in private jails won't
have to, Corrections Minister Judith Collins says.
A burgeoning prison population meant prison guards would be
in demand, she told reporters today following a protest this
morning.
The Public Service Association (PSA) and Corrections
Association held a protest at Parliament against privately
run prisons.
A bill allowing the privatisation of prisons was passed under
urgency in November and Mrs Collins has earmarked Auckland's
Mt Eden Prison and one being built at Wiri in south Auckland
for such measures.
PSA assistant national secretary Jeff Osborne, Corrections
Association president Bevan Hanlon and opposition MPs told a
small crowd of people wearing Judith Collins masks that
private prisons were more expensive to the taxpayer and led
to reduced service as costs were gradually cut to increase
profits.
Mr Osborne said figures from the Corrections Department
showed operating costs for the Australian company that
managed Auckland Remand Prison from 2000 to 2005 were $43,000
per inmate - $7000 more than the Corrections Department costs
per remand prisoner.
Mr Hanlon said if Mt Eden was privatised 450 jobs would be
put on the line, and most of those lucky enough to apply for
and retain work in a private capacity would have their wages
significantly reduced.
He said Corrections was not allowed to contract for the
running of prisons in a private capacity and any profits
would go to offshore companies.
Labour Party corrections spokesman Clayton Cosgrove said
running prisons was a core state responsibility and
transferring that to the private sector was a "cop-out", not
cost effective and a slap in the face for prison officers who
did one of the toughest jobs in the country.
A big concern was that the accountability faced by the public
sector in the management of prisons would disappear under a
private agreement.
Mrs Collins said the unions presented partial and incorrect
information about the costs, and the comparison with ACRP was
inaccurate.
If guards were worried conditions would not be as good as the
two private prisons they could work for one of the other 20
prisons in the country, she said.
"Unfortunately in the Corrections area we are actually a
growth industry... There will be plenty of jobs with our
increased prison population for people who don't wish to work
in the private sector. I am not sure why anyone would need to
be that worried about it."
As of Monday there were 8385 people detained in prisons,
court cells and police cells. That was an increase of 74
people from a week ago.
The Monday figure was 135 below Corrections' all time high of
8520 on Monday October 19 2009. Mel Smith, Ombudsman from
2002-2007, had oversight of prisons including the ACRP.
He said there appeared to be a misunderstanding that there
was a separate system for private prisons when they came
under the same controls as publicly run jails.
He said the Corrections chief executive would appoint a
monitor stationed in the private prisons to ensure
requirements and standards were met.
"There is nothing in terms of the management of the prison
that is somehow or other lesser than that in place for other
prisons in the public system," he said.
Mrs Collins said the contract with the private provider would
be tabled and the chief executive would be held responsible
by Parliament.
She said it was healthy to have a mix of private and public
prisons. Private prisons led to innovation in the public
sector.
"It would be a bonus to have a saving but basically it's
really about innovation and opening the prisons up to new
ideas."
