An 0800 telephone line to the Office of the Ombudsmen has been running hot with calls from prison inmates.
The report of the Ombudsmen, tabled in Parliament this week, said the number of calls from inmates daily was high and was placing demands on staff.
The report said a number of factors
appeared to be contributing to the high use of the 0800 number but the overall impression gained, from what inmates had told the office, was that prison procedures for dealing with inmates' complaints were not functioning effectively.
"If we are to be able to discharge our functions in relation to inmates' complaints within the resources currently available to us, the internal complaints procedures must function adequately," the report said.
"We are an office of last resort and inmates should be encouraged to try to resolve their grievances within the system before referring them to us."
The Chief Ombudsman had raised the concerns with the Department of Corrections.
The Ombudsmen's Office also said it was receiving an increasing number of allegations of staff assaults on inmates in maximum security prisons where behaviour management regimes had been introduced.
An ombudsman's involvement had usually been to monitor the department's investigation of allegations.
"Although it is recognised that such investigations can be difficult, especially when there are no independent witnesses, it is of concern that in some prisons there appears to be a reluctance to confront such allegations promptly."
It some cases, investigations had taken more than six months to complete. The quality of the investigations varied.
Although false allegations were possible, generally inmates were aware of the effect this could have on the length of their sentence and staff attitudes towards them, the report said.
The office suggested video cameras be installed permanently "in this kind of setting where there is potential for violence". This could add some protection for staff in the event of false allegations being made.
- NZPA
