Our violent, over crowded prison system

Leaked report reveals rise in prison assaults
Prisoners are most likely to attack their guards on Monday mornings, typically by punching them in the head. If they use a weapon, it is most commonly hot water, tea, or urine, thrown in the guard's face. Prisoners have also used food trays, chairs, pool balls and wood to attack guards, but rarely use knives, according to an internal Corrections Department report leaked to the Sunday Star-Times. The report, which covers all prison assaults since July 2003, says assaults on staff increased from 1.7 per 100 prisoners to 4.3 per 100 in 2007-08, and total notified assaults increased by 3.85 per 100. The report suggests a noticeable rise in 2006-07 could be linked to the increase in the prison muster at that time. The report comes amid concern over rising violence in prisons, including the killing of prisoner Tue Faavae this month at the maximum security unit at Auckland Prison. A visiting Australian union leader, Colin Rosewarne, described Paremoremo as "putrid" and Mt Eden as simply "archaic".

Well, well, well – as was predicted a thousand times here on Tumeke, increase the number of prisoners inside and that stress creates violence, and we are NOW looking to double bunk prisoners in these tiny cells. Our thirst for vengeance, driven by the Sensible Sentencing Trust who may or may not be secretly funded by the Private Prison industry, has warped our social policy with hate and this is the result. National’s solution is to privatize the entire Prison system meaning that the motives have moved from rehabilitation to profit, and those private prisons make profits from more NZers in more prisons for longer – which is why overseas these corporations spend vast sums of money on victims rights groups who create a furious level of public debate which allows for harder and longer sentences.

The Lynch mob have so far won the debate, reason has retreated in NZ.

Good to see Colin Espiner attack National and ACTs la and order policies as well, the mainstream media ARE waking up!

Crime laws put Nats on the brink
Very soon this National administration is going to face a stiff test of its abilities as a government. I'm not talking about job losses or the recession. Nor am I talking about climate change or immigration or the education system or any of the many pressing issues that confront National. I'm talking about the clamour from the talkback-phoning, hatchet-weilding, noose-knotting "hang 'em high'' brigade who masquerade under the pretence of being ordinary citizens concerned about law and order. During the election campaign National greatly encouraged these bloodthirsty but essentially profoundly misguided folk by whipping up a fervour over longer sentences for violent criminals, and in particular a pledge to lock up repeat offenders sentenced to five years or more in prison without parole. Moves are afoot, however, to somehow combine such a profoundly inhumane - and not to mention illegal under United Nations covenants we are a signatory to - piece of law with the ACT Party's even more ludicrous "Three Strikes'' legislation.