Inmates inside Rimutaka Prison have slammed Corrections, claiming officers failed to do their jobs properly when a fellow inmate died on Sunday.
Newshub has spoken to a prisoner, who we've agreed not to name, unhappy with the response after the man was found unresponsive in his cell at around 4pm.
He says an officer and a couple of inmates had found the man and one of the inmates began performing CPR.
The officer froze, and wasn't sure what to do. They pressed the emergency button and they called for backup. Instead of calling for medical they just called for backup.
"It's disgusting that three inmates had to perform CPR on another inmate and officers just let it happen, officers didn't intervene, officers done [sic] nothing."
He says it took 15 minutes for a defibrillator to arrive and it was inmates who used it on the man.
He claims at least another 25 minutes went by before paramedics arrived.
"You've got inmates in the unit now scared because we have to rely on another inmate to save our life."
He says the prisoner's body was moved outside the cell and into an open area of the compound.
In a statement, the Department of Corrections has confirmed a prisoner died on Sunday.
"Our staff, with the assistance of prisoners and paramedics, made every effort to save him, however they were sadly unable to revive him.
"There is no indication his death is suspicious," says Rob Anesi, Acting Prison Director, Rimutaka Prison.
But Corrections disputes some of the prisoners' allegations.
They claim the first people to identify the medical emergency were one custodial staff member, who immediately sought help from other staff members, and one prisoner.
It says staff led the response, with a number of prisoners providing assistance to staff for approximately 15 minutes during the immediate initial response.
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says he was informed of the death.
"I want to acknowledge the efforts of corrections officers and even other prisoners who helped in this situation."
The prisoner says he was upset that after the inmate was pronounced dead his body wasn't moved from the shared space.
He claims dinner was served and it made him feel sick.
"That's not only culturally insensitive, that's just wrong full stop. You know what I mean. There was no tikanga or nothing."
Corrections says the body wasn't moved as per standard policies.
"The body was not moved until Police had attended the site. The man's body was not left in view of other prisoners - the man's dignity was maintained through privacy screens and multiple staff remained with him at all times," Anesi says.
"The medical emergency was identified when dinner was being delivered to cells, and all men in the unit were provided with their dinner in their cells following the incident."
The prisoner wants to speak out because he feels disappointed at Corrections' response. He wants staff to be better trained.
"There will be an investigation and I guess looking at the skills that the Corrections officers had whether they're up to a standard will be something that's looked at," says Minister Davis.
According to Corrections, prisoners who were involved were all interviewed and had an at-risk assessment completed and staff led a Karakia on Monday.
"I have also invited Topia Rameka, our Deputy Chief Executive Māori, to visit the unit and speak to the men about their experiences," says Anesi.
"We are carrying out an internal review of the incident. All deaths in custody are referred to the Coroner for investigation and determination of cause of death, and an investigation by the independent Corrections Inspectorate will also be carried out."
