KEY POINTS:
Four prison officers have been stood down for allegedly using inmates to work on their private homes as the Corrections Department faces fresh claims of corruption.
Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor has ordered an urgent investigation into the allegations of corrupt behaviour at New Zealand's only maximum security prison, Auckland Prison at Paremoremo.
The department refused to specify what type of work was allegedly carried out or whether any of the staff were senior officers, saying commenting further could prejudice the outcome of its investigations.
The suspension of the four staff now brings to 20 the number of staff stood down nationally for inappropriate and unethical behaviour.
An investigation into alleged contraband smuggling, assault and inappropriate conduct at Rimutaka Prison was launched in November after claims of corruption, and 11 guards have been suspended.
In the South Island, another four guards have been suspended from Christchurch Men's Prison, while this month a Mt Eden Prison prison officer was suspended for allegedly smuggling in contraband.
O'Connor wouldn't comment on the specific nature of the allegations against the four Paremoremo staff, but did say he was not prepared to tolerate any inappropriate or unethical behaviour by prison staff.
"The department will discover, investigate, dismiss and prosecute any person whose actions lower the reputation of the department," he told the Herald on Sunday.
It is understood the two Paremoremo inmates involved were on a prison release-to-work programme - a scheme which allows prisoners near the end of their sentence to work in the community.
The aim of the programme is to help prisoners with their transition back into the community and improve their chances of rehabilitation by providing them with paid employment.
However, rather than working in the community, the two inmates in question are alleged to have been carrying out work on the homes of prison staff.
According to the Corrections code of conduct, staff members are prohibited from forming a financial or business relationship with an offender, "or using an offender for personal gain".
National's justice spokesman Simon Power said the suspension of the four staff made a mockery of claims that corruption within the prison service was isolated to "just a few bad apples" at Rimutaka Prison.
"What appears now is that inappropriate practices are more widespread than we were originally led to believe and it is time the department came clean about how much of this stuff is going on across the board," Power said.
"It is reflective of a culture of denial within Corrections, where they can do no wrong in their own minds. The thing is, though, that in the public's mind, many, many things have gone wrong in the last 12 to 18 months."
The Corrections Association, the union representing more than 2500 prison staff, could not be reached for comment yesterday, but it has said previously it has a "zero tolerance" towards any officer involved in corrupt practices.
