PM open to prison abuse rethink

Prime Minister Helen Clark says there is "logic" in ensuring there is an independent prisoner complaints system if the law changes to make it tougher for prisoners to get compensation for jail abuse.

"The Government is prepared to look at whether there is a need for an independent inspectorate for prisons," she told Parliament yesterday.

However she said she did not think there was a need to rethink the proposed new law which will limit the ability of inmates to get payouts for mistreatment.

Pressure has been mounting for a revamp of the way prisons are inspected after Queen's Counsel Ailsa Duffy was highly critical of the current system for failing to properly investigate the so-called 'goon squad' of rogue prison officers operating in Canterbury.

The Government moved last year to change the law to limit the ability of convicted criminals to be paid compensation for unlawful treatment, after a public outcry over compensation to five Auckland Prison inmates.

That has prompted concern from lawyers, the Human Rights Commission, and Opposition MPs who have argued the Government should first act to ensure inmates are not abused while in state custody.

The Prisoners' and Victims' Claims Bill is due to be passed this year, and yesterday Helen Clark told Parliament she would not reject the idea of a genuinely independent prison watchdog.

"I think it is important that, if there are abuses in the prison system, they are exposed and dealt with."

Asked by Green Party justice spokesman Nandor Tanczos if the proposed new law meant the importance of having an independent watchdog was "greatly increased", Helen Clark said there was some logic in that.

Mr Tanczos said to avoid a duplication of bureaucracies, an independent prison complaints office could be set up alongside a planned new independent police complaints authority.