KEY POINTS:
The Corrections Department says barbecues are "pretty infrequent" at a remand unit where an inmate was violently attacked.
The attack, which happened on Saturday afternoon after a barbecue at Northland's Ngawha Prison, left a prisoner critically injured and on life support.
The inmate was attacked by other prisoners who stomped on him, leaving boot marks on his head, chest and stomach and used batteries placed in socks as weapons. He was found unconscious in his cell.
Corrections northern regional manager Warren Cummins told Radio New Zealand yesterday the barbecue had been earlier in the day and was not at the same time as the assault.
He said barbecues were "pretty infrequent" at the unit and were a management tool to get prisoners to act responsibly. There had been no warnings from staff members for management not to go ahead with the barbecue for safety reasons.
There had been no indication the incident was about to take place and not all remand inmates would have been at the barbecue.
A "face to name" check when prisoners came in for their evening meal had shown one inmate was missing, he said.
He did not know how many people were involved in the attack.
Mr Cummins said there had been only 13 incidents in the remand unit since July 1 last year.
Beven Hanlon, from the prison officer union, the Corrections Association, said managers gave officers additional duties for Saturday's barbecue that meant they could not properly monitor prisoners.
He said there was more violence at the Ngawha unit than other remand facilities because management had allowed inmates too much leeway.
Mr Hanlon said there had been outbreaks of violence at the remand unit for months.
National Party justice and corrections spokesman Simon Power said inmates were in prison because they were found to be breaching the law.
"The victims of their crimes will be grossly offended by the idea that they are being rewarded for anything."
He said it seemed prisoners were rewarded whether they behaved or misbehaved.
- NZPA
