21 July 2025
C198136
Alexander Bowers-Mason
[FYI request #31081 email] Tēnā koe Alexander
Thank you for your email of 25 May 2025
date to the Department of Corrections – Ara
Poutama Aotearoa, requesting information about “separates/punishment/pound cells”.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
We have interpreted your request as relating to prisoners subject to cell confinement. A
prisoner who is sanctioned with a period of cell confinement, will serve this period in cells
which have been identified by the prison manager in accordance with Corrections
Regulations 154, in a management or separates unit. However, this is subject to operational
requirements and where a site demand has exceeded these cells the site will manage this in
the prisoner’s cell.
Corrections are committed to the safe and humane management of people in prisons and
operating prison facilities in accordance with New Zealand legislation and in alignment with
non-binding international principles and rules, such as the United Nations Standard
Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules).
If a prisoner commits an offence as specified in the Corrections Act 2004, they may be
internally charged with a misconduct. The internal misconduct system ensures that
prisoners who are subject to disciplinary action have their charges heard by a hearing
adjudicator or by a Visiting Justice in accordance with legislation. If a prisoner is found guilty
of non-compliance with the rules and regulations of the prison, they are disciplined in a fair,
just and humane manner. If the prisoner pleads or is found guilty, the hearing adjudicator or
Visiting Justice determines the appropriate sanction, which can include loss of privileges,
forfeiture of earnings or cell confinement.
In accordance with the Corrections Regulations 2005, when a prisoner is subject to cell
confinement, the prison’s Health Centre Manager must be notified as soon as practicable,
and the prisoner must receive daily visits. These regulations also include specifications for
the cells utilised for the purpose of cell confinement.
Further information regarding prisoners on cell confinement is contained within the Prison
Operations Manual, and can be found on our website at:
NATIONAL OFFICE, WELLINGTON
Mayfair House, 44 – 52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140,
Phone +64 4 460 3000
www.corrections.govt.nz
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-
Manual/Public-RL/MC.01.Sch.02-schedule-of-penalties
You requested:
- The snapshot number of people held in separates/punishment/pound cells in New
Zealand prison. Please break this down by quarterly snapshot since December 2009.
Please provide the snapshot population on the same day as the overall prison
snapshots provided on the Department of Corrections website […]’
-The total number of times a person was sent to separates/punishment/pound cells,
broken by year since 2009.
Please provide this to me in excel format.
You have provided some of this data already in response to this OIA request:
https://fyi.org.nz/request/5904-number-of-people-in-separates-cells
Please refer to Appendix One and Two, which provides you with the number of prisoners
subject to cell confinement at the end of each quarter since December 2009 and the
number of prisoners that commenced a period of cell confinement for each of the financial
years since 2009/10.
Caution is urged when comparing time periods to each other. The prison population
fluctuates daily and can vary significantly across years.
In addition, the data Corrections provided in the previous response you’ve linked to has
since been decommissioned (our reference C85898). The data we are providing now reflects
updated data on cell confinement.
Please note that this response may be published on Corrections’ website. Typically,
responses are published quarterly or as otherwise determined. Your personal information
including name and contact details will be removed for publication.
I hope this information is helpful. I encourage you to raise any concerns about this response
with Corrections. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to raise any concerns with the
Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152,
Wellington 6143.
Ngā mihi
Leigh Marsh
Commissioner Custodial Services
Appendix One: Number of prisoners subject to cell confinement, as at the end of each
quarter since December 2009
Table notes:
• The numbers provided are as at the last day of each quarter. They do not represent
the total number of prisoners subject to cell confinement throughout the entire
quarter.
• A prisoner who is sanctioned with a period of cell confinement, can serve this period
in their normal cell, not in a management or separates unit. However, this is subject
to operational requirements.
• Caution is urged when comparing time periods to each other. The prison population
fluctuates daily and can vary significantly across years. In addition, the complexity of
people coming into our management has changed.
Prisoners subject to
Quarter ending
cell confinement
December 2009
34
March 2010
73
June 2010
53
September 2010
89
December 2010
45
March 2011
90
June 2011
78
September 2011
85
December 2011
38
March 2012
68
June 2012
61
September 2012
65
December 2012
42
March 2013
59
June 2013
131
September 2013
83
December 2013
35
March 2014
81
June 2014
79
September 2014
77
December 2014
47
March 2015
64
June 2015
92
September 2015
72
December 2015
40
March 2016
74
June 2016
97
September 2016
117
December 2016
54
March 2017
103
June 2017
147
September 2017
128
December 2017
39
March 2018
95
June 2018
119
September 2018
99
December 2018
37
March 2019
73
June 2019
73
September 2019
80
December 2019
58
March 2020
25
June 2020
57
September 2020
92
December 2020
14
March 2021
74
June 2021
76
September 2021
67
December 2021
25
March 2022
50
June 2022
56
September 2022
69
December 2022
28
March 2023
99
June 2023
117
September 2023
64
December 2023
27
March 2024
41
June 2024
63
September 2024
60
December 2024
17
March 2025
63
Appendix Two: Number of times a prisoner started a period of cell confinement each
financial year since 2009/10
Table notes:
• The individual starts is not reflective of unique prisoners as a prisoner may
commence multiple periods subject to cell confinement within a single financial year.
Therefore, each instance is counted individually.
• *As at 31 May 2025
• Caution is urged when comparing time periods to each other. The prison population
fluctuates daily and can vary significantly across years. In addition, the complexity of
people coming into our management has changed.
Financial year
Individual starts
2009/10
5,167
2010/11
5,307
2011/12
6,038
2012/13
6,503
2013/14
7,009
2014/15
6,386
2015/16
7,038
2016/17
7,997
2017/18
8,477
2018/19
7,987
2019/20
7,428
2020/21
6,145
2021/22
4,621
2022/23
5,664
2023/24
6,206
2024/25*
7,722