KEY POINTS:
The Government is coming under increasing pressure as more allegations of prison corruption and management turning a blind eye to it are made.
Former and present prison officers at Rimutaka in Upper Hutt yesterday supported claims that staff smuggled in contraband for inmates.
They also warned of a
"cover-up culture" and said they had little faith in the independent inquiry which is investigating 15 to 20 staff at the prison for corruption.
Opposition parties yesterday voiced concerns at how widespread the problem is, and it was alleged that an officer at Christchurch Men's Prison was suspended after trying to expose contraband smuggling.
The Corrections Department said last night it had no plans to expand the inquiry to Christchurch because the allegations were made at the end of last year and were "already being dealt with in conjunction with the police". Chief executive Barry Matthews added: "If a need became apparent, the department would not hesitate to begin an investigation at another prison."
A senior corrections officer at Rimutaka said staff were afraid to co-operate with the inquiry there.
"Prisoners don't want to disturb their source of supply and officers don't want to rock the boat and compromise their safety," said the officer, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals.
"No one believes there's going to be a proper investigation. The problems are too inherent in prisons."
He said he had seen prison staff trying to smuggle contraband, but did not take action as it would never have been followed through.
"You say, 'We don't need that nonsense going on here' - there's not much else you can do. It's easy and safer to go along with it.
"The corruption varies depending on the type of prisoners, the amount of money and if the heat is on at the time. Things are quiet at the moment because of the publicity, but it will all blow over in a few months and it will be back to business as usual."
He spoke of a "culture of cover-up", a comment supported by a former Rimutaka employee who told Radio New Zealand that smuggling could not have occurred "without management knowledge of it".
"And they had knowledge of it for a long time and the fact is they chose not to act," she said.
She said one guard was left by his colleagues to fend for himself when attacked by an inmate because he had been too rigorous with cell searches.
New Zealand First corrections spokesman Ron Mark yesterday made further claims of a cover-up at Christchurch Men's Prison.
"In November 2006, a Canterbury officer reported to prison officers that corrupt officers were smuggling in P and up to 28 cellphones a month."
He said prisoners had given the officer the names of corrupt officers because they were concerned the prison wing would go out of control if P continued to be smuggled in.
When the officer took the issue to senior management, she was told the inmate would be rewarded with a lower security rating.
But nothing happened, Mr Mark said, except that the informant was put in a maximum-security wing and the officer was suspended for a routine practice - she had given her informant some cigarettes because he was nervous about being outed to fellow inmates.
Mr Mark questioned whether Mr Matthews or Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor knew the extent of the problem, or whether they could trust what advisers told them.
"How can [Mr O'Connor] have confidence in the information provided by Corrections, when honest prison officers who take enormous risks reporting allegations of smuggling and corruption to prison managers are ignored?
"What is Corrections doing to improve the situation for prison officers who are trying to report legitimate concerns, but who end up being put at risk and subsequently hung out to dry?"
Associate Corrections Minister Mita Ririnui said allegations were taken seriously, and corruption would not be tolerated.
Mr Matthews said: "It is important to remember that while it is easy to make an allegation; on investigation it may not be substantiated."
