The Chief Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the Department of Corrections which will examine how the agency has handled repeated calls for the improvement of prison conditions.
The systemic investigation was self-initiated by Peter Boshier after he found the same issues continued to be raised.
He said he has not seen "significant and sustained improvements to prisoners' welfare and rehabilitation" despite concerns being raised at all levels, so "I simply want to know why".
"I have become increasingly concerned about seeing the same issues coming up time and time again," he said.
"I now need to determine if there are any system-wide issues in the department that may be preventing it from making changes that I and other oversight agencies have been calling for."
He said the independent inquiry will investigate why problems continue to exist across the prison network around all of New Zealand and examine what is being done to take action.
Specifically, the Chief Ombudsman will be looking at what the department has done to effectively address:
- The treatment and conditions of people held in all correctional facilities
- Opportunities for constructive activity, such as education, employment, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes
- Performance monitoring and review processes, such as complaints management, oversight of segregation orders, use of force reviews, and other operational or incident reviews
The investigation is currently in the initial planning stage and is expected to take around a year to complete (around mid to late 2022).
Prison conditions around New Zealand have been brought into the spotlight over the past year.
In January, 16 Waikeria Prison inmates rioted in protest of their "inhumane" living conditions, which led to a six-day standoff that involved fires, destruction and violent clashes.
The Christchurch mosque terrorist has also protested his prison conditions, although later withdrew his legal challenge.
