I consider this comprehensive reply to be acceptable and very helpful. I would like to thank Corrections for their efforts and prompt reply.

Charles Jordan

The answer to question 6 about number of Administrative Segregations seems weird .
Corrections has refused to supply the information , saying it is too costly , even if they made a charge to do so , to go through a multitude of manual records to sift out the AS’s . This seems strange , given the huge risk to prisoner welfare that AS represents. Corrections was hauled over the coals for AS slackness in the taunoa decision . It seems they have learnt nothing . e.g. The slap happy Corrections procedures revealed in AS by the Ombudsmans recent report on Arthur Taylor's treatment . If Corrections doesn't monitor AS numbers , it sounds like AS is out of control & there could be dozens of prisoner compensation lawsuits to follow Taylor's .

See question 6 .
https://fyi.org.nz/request/1380/response...

Corrections has all the Administrative Segregation figures available at the tip of its fingers via its IOM System. What's so costly about retrieving this information ? It's information they should be using themselves anyway as part of normal monthly management reporting .

The 2013 UN COTA ( Crimes of Torture ) report ( prepared by independent NZ agencies & the UN ) said the Administrative Segregation run by the Department amounts to "cruel and inhumane" treatment under the Convention to which New Zealand signed up.Another report in January by the Ombudsman confirmed that the well known Arthur Taylor had been one of the inmates subjected to the abuse . Taylor is said to be about to sue the department for damages . These could include punitive damages because of the fact the Corrections dept doesn't appear to have learnt from the "Taunoa" case in 2007.
Strangely , the government "forgot" to circulate this report to delegates at the recent UN UP Review Meeting in geneva . So Judith Collins informed them "there is no state sponsored torture in New Zealand" and no-one had the information to challenge her . However , she will be challenged at the final meeting in June .
Compare NZ Corrections Dept to most of the countries with which NZ likes to compare itself & our prison system looks like a dinosaur. You only need a driver ;licence & a clean criminal record for 10 years to be a NZ prison officer . Men come out worse than when they went in. You seriously want to place vulnerable youth with these people ?.

Ian, I don't know that the FYI site is intended for such debates but I will respond nonetheless. I have visited the Youth Unit at Christchurch Prison and made some observations, in my opinion it is well run with the officers firmly in control and a positive focus on rehabilitative training. However, I don't speak for Corrections in any respect, these are simply my personal observations. I will say that having been a member of the ICPA (International Corrections & Prisons Association) for some time I am familiar with what occurs in prisons of many other countries, and by comparison NZ is quite humane, particularly with the young offenders. Some of the buildings are archaic, I'll give you that. All prisons present inherent operating difficulties, and NZ is no different, the gang culture in NZ presents additional challenges and administrative segregation is needed as a management tool, unfortunately counseling the prisoners doesn't always work and segregation becomes the only option available to mitigate the risk of dangerous behavior. On the surface the Youth Justice Facilities operated by CYF may appear to be the kinder, gentler option. Having worked in one of those facilities for 2 1/2 years I will say that it is not. CYF is a Social Work organization designed with care and protection as a mandate, which is fine for everything they do with the exception of incarcerating young offenders. This responsibility is at odds with the culture of the organisation and has resulted in constant dysfunction and chaos. They simply are not capable of effectively managing the more aggressive young offenders, the organisational culture, lack of expertise and the legislation they operate under is not conducive to this task. This has created an environment where the more aggressive young offenders act with near impunity, they abuse and intimidate the less aggressive offenders and are viewed as leaders more so than the staff. The less aggressive offenders suffer physical, mental and emotional harm at the hands of the more aggressive offenders because of CYF's inability to control them. In my view this is a cruel but unintended punishment. Corrections has superior expertise in managing young offenders, and I believe that with the necessary legislation changes they can provide a more safe and humane environment conducive to rehabilitating young offenders.

I'm in favour of a more professional prison service , and one that acknowledges its obligations under the Human Rights Act and the Bill of Rights Act.

I've sat with the Epuni Listening Panel inside Auckland Prison as a support person for a maximum security inmate recounting his sad progression from that infamous boys home through the criminal justice system. As he said , the social welfare people of the day set out with the best of intentions in establishing institutions like Epuni , but they ended up causing a lot of damage to the boys, their families and society. But I have also seen too much evidence of lack of professionalism & accountability within the Corrections Dept to convince me they must automatically be the preferred option to manage all young offenders.
I'm sure New Zealand would have a a better prison service if the prison inspectorate was truly independent and prisons treated inmates, while still keeping the public safe , following the Prison services own Rules & with respect for their basic humanity. Recruitment and training standards need to be lifted to somewhere closer to that of the Police.
To quote from the ICPA's "Basic Training Manual for Correctional Workers" p.622 "..by following the Regulations , you can fairly expect the inmate to do what is expected of him . You have taken away his excuse for negative behaviour ..". It seems obvious , doesn't it ?

The Corrections Depts refusal to supply you numbers of directed segregations isn't credible . The Chief Executive is required to approve of all segregations lasting over 14 days . Corrections Act s.58
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publi...
What motive could Corrections have for refusing to supply the figures ?
The 2013 OPCAT report found DS's at Auckland Prison "could be considered" to have breached the UN Convention Against Torture ( and thus the NZ Crimes of Torture Act ). This could leave Ray Smith and prison managers who authorised the DS's vulnerable to criminal investigation.
http://brookingblog.com/2014/02/16/arthu...
I suggest, instead of congratulating the Corrections Dept & calling their response "successful" , you complain to the Ombudsman that they refused to provide information they actually have readily at hand( and that there is a public need to know ).

Ian, the information you're referring to is only a small aspect of the request I made, overall I'm satisfied with their response. I asked for information specific to the Youth Unit at ChCh Mens Prison not a total for all the prisons, perhaps it would be time intensive to break down and collate this data for one specific unit as they say. In any event I intend to focus my time elsewhere rather than pursuing a complaint to the Ombudsman. If you have an issue with the use of administrative segregation and want them to release this information then perhaps you could make an OIA request for information relevant to all of the prisons and pursue a complaint to the Ombudsman if you're not satisfied with their response. Personally, I'm in favour of supporting the Corrections staff with whatever options and tools they need to get the job done safely and I wouldn't do anything that might create publicity that would make administrative segregation an issue of political correctness rather than a security issue best decided by the people working on the frontline.

Charles. If you see keeping records of solitary confinement for young offenders as "political correctness" and believe prison officers shouldn't be accountable for their actions, I couldn't dissuade you .