KEY POINTS:
An inquiry into alleged corruption at Wellington's Rimutaka Prison has found no evidence of systemic corruption.
However, the inquiry by Wellington barrister David Patten - which has taken 16 months - found "some" corrupt activity involving staff had allegedly occurred.
Those matters were being dealt with by the police or the Corrections Department said the report, released today.
The prison has been plagued by problems; a number of staff have been suspended over contraband smuggling, prisoner assaults and other misconduct - 11 were suspended last March alone.
But Mr Patten, who interviewed 48 prison staff, 13 regional staff, nine prisoners and head office personnel , found "no evidence of systemic corruption at Rimutuka Prison".
"...because of the culture that has existed at Rimutuka Prison, some corrupt activity involving staff has allegedly occurred but has or is presently being dealt with by either the New Zealand Police or the department," he said.
Corrections had already made "significant and positive" changes designed to improve management practices and professional standards, and to reduce opportunities for corruption.
Mr Patten said a number of senior personnel interviewed believed corruption probably existed in all prisons.
"Whilst the holders of this view are possibly correct, this does not make such corruption in any form acceptable, at any level," he said.
"The overall conclusion of this investigation is that there is no evidence of a probative nature of systemic corruption at Rimutuka Prison.
"This is not to say that there have not been incidences in the past of corruption at the prison."
- NZPA
