By DARREL MAGER
Police computer experts have found hard-core pornographic material hidden on two computers confiscated from the cells of jailed paedophiles.
The Department of Corrections confirmed yesterday that two inmates at Auckland Prison at Paremoremo have been charged following the discovery and are waiting to have their case heard by a
visiting judge.
"The illicit material was found in hidden files, and only with the help of very sophisticated software," said prison regional manager Bret Bestic.
Prison guards confiscated computers from two medium-security cell blocks in October after a "strictly confidential" memorandum was sent to Mr Bestic from an anonymous "member of the Department of Corrections staff."
The detailed four-page memo, obtained by the Herald, alleged that at least five child rapists had for months been "viewing, copying and distributing" pornographic photographs depicting sex acts with young boys and girls.
The images were on personal computers kept in their cells.
Mr Bestic would not say whether the material discovered involved child-sex acts, only that it was "hard-core pornography."
Prison regulations allow some inmates to have computers in their cells, provided that they are for approved educational purposes.
The memo also named a staff member as being a key smuggling source, but Mr Bestic yesterday said that investigations had found no evidence of staff involvement.
"It is more likely that the material could be coming in through visitors smuggling in disks," he said.
The department has introduced random testing of prison computers in response to the find, and a new software blocking package will be installed on all machines to stop illegal material being introduced.
The investigation also found "computer games and an assortment of other unapproved software" on all the machines tested.
Public Prisons Service general manager Phil McCarthy said the problem might might be a national issue.
"The measures we have introduced ... will be interim measures while we take a step back and review our national policies on this issue," he said.
"We do not want to completely eliminate access by sentenced inmates to computers, as we believe education plays a vital role in rehabilitating inmates.
"We do need to look at technology available to us to monitor computer use more stringently."
