Notorious career criminal Arthur Taylor has given his first TV interview, which Corrections spent $86,000 trying to stop.
The jailhouse lawyer has 152 convictions for offences including bank robbery, burglary, fraud and drugs. He has been behind bars on and off for 38 years.
In recent years, the Auckland Prison inmate has taken the Government to court over moves to ban smoking in prisons and voting rights for prisoners.
Corrections spent $86,000 in legal fees trying to stop journalist Lisa Owen's interview with Taylor for TV3's The Nation - which was broadcast this morning - from taking place.
During the interview, Taylor - who has nine convictions for prison escapes - claimed smoking still goes on in jails, contrary to the law. He said there was a black market for tobacco in prison and that prison guards were supplying it to inmates.