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An inmate who threatened to kill his former partner from prison has been charged and convicted after the threat was picked up by new telephone monitoring technology.
The woman did not complain to police, but the call from a prison payphone was picked up by new technology that had been installed in November.
Corrections Minister Phil Goff today said the public had a right to expect inmates would not be able to intimidate people from inside prison.
"The prisoner was terrorising his partner and she was too scared to come forward and make a statement. Without the use of this technology, it is unlikely charges could have been laid."
The call had been monitored and referred to police, who interviewed and charged the inmate. He pleaded guilty and is currently awaiting sentence.
Mr Goff said since the random monitoring technology had been piloted in November it had led to charges for robberies, gang activity, illegal drug use and "a raft of other offending".
"Telephone monitoring technology makes it more likely that if prisoners do this sort of activity they can be detected. When they are caught, they can expect to be prosecuted."
Mr Goff said the technology was one of several security initiatives introduced in the past few years, including greater search powers, single points of entry into prisons and cellphone jamming technology, which should be in all prisons by early next year.
Changes to the Corrections Act, currently before Parliament, would also give prisons greater powers to search inmates' mail.
"Combined, telephone monitoring, cell phone blocking and mail searching, will severely limit the ability of prisoners to communicate with people in the community to undertake illegal activities."
- NZPA
