Disquiet at criminals becoming prison guards

Moves to consider convicted criminals for jobs as prison guards was today described as "disappointing" by the guards' union.

Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon said the move could lead to more guards being sacked, and open up the Corrections Department to more personal grievance claims.

The department needs to find 1800 guards - mainly to staff new prisons - in the next four years, including 600 in the next year, the Dominion Post reported today.

The Corrections Department says it has always had the discretion to allow applications from people with minor convictions.

Anyone previously wanting to become a prison guard must have had no criminal convictions in the past 10 years and needed to pass several selection tests.

The Corrections Association, which represents most of the 2800 guards employed in New Zealand jails, says the selection criteria has been allowed to slip.

Figures released by National Party law and order spokesman Simon Power showed 13 guards were sacked in the past year.

Four were fired for not turning up to work and one for facing criminal charges.

Mr Hanlon said many others were told by the union to resign before they were sacked.

Fourteen guards lodged personal grievances against the department, of which five received payouts of up to $3000.

A list supplied to Mr Power does not state what the payouts were for, though four were for "unjustified action" and the other was because of "disparity of treatment".

Staff sacked because of their own actions were only entitled to receive outstanding pay and holiday pay, a Corrections Department spokeswoman said.

Mr Hanlon said though the number of personal grievance payouts seemed few, the department had to make several more payouts after mediation.

More sackings and personal grievance claims were likely since entry standards were relaxed, Mr Hanlon said.

Selection tests had also become easier to pass. Previously, prospective guards who failed a test had to wait a year before being allowed to re-sit. Now they could immediately re-sit the parts of the test they had failed, and receive tuition from the department in how to pass.

Entry criteria for guards had not changed, the department spokeswoman said and each application was considered on its merits. Violent or drug-related offending - or convictions carrying a custodial sentence - automatically disqualified an applicant.

- NZPA