The events that led to the death of Manawatu Prison inmate Justin Kaa are a symptom of much larger problems, prison staff union leader Brian Davies said yesterday.
Michael James Robert Kerins, 24, was found not guilty in the Palmerston North High Court on Tuesday of murdering fellow inmate Justin
Gene Kaa, 27, at Manawatu Prison on May 19 last year.
Kaa was stabbed seven times with a craft chisel. The fatal blow pierced his heart and aorta. Kerins claimed he killed in self-defence.
Mr Davies, who heads the Corrections Association, said Corrections Department budget cuts had created dangers for prison officers and resulted in situations where inmates could be injured.
Kaa's death was the culmination of three days of fighting between factions in Manawatu Prison.
But Mr Davies would not say that staff problems definitely resulted in Kaa's death.
"All I can say is that the constant stress the staff are under in Manawatu Prison is significantly related to the short-staffing problems."
A Workplace Development Programme begun by the department in 1999 had led to budget cuts and a subsequent "restructuring of prison staff".
Staffing shortages at Manawatu Prison meant that there were not enough prison staff to cover for ill colleagues.
Mr Davies said the union would go to the Employment Relations Authority to claim that the development project identified minimum staffing levels that had to be maintained.
- NZPA
