PM supports Turia in prison favours spat

By FRANCESCA MOLD and AUDREY YOUNG

Prime Minister Helen Clark is standing by Associate Corrections Minister Tariana Turia after the Opposition claimed she used her position to seek special treatment for prisoners, including one who lived with her as a child.

After a late-night meeting between Helen Clark, Corrections Minister Matt Robson and Mrs Turia, the Government issued statements supporting the associate minister's behaviour.

Helen Clark said Mrs Turia had always done her best to pass on requests from inmates and their families to the Public Prisons Service and upheld its operational independence.

In the future, ministers would clarify procedures to be followed when making representations concerning prisoners, she said.

National MP Tony Ryall released documents showing that Mrs Turia had tried to interfere in cases involving at least nine prisoners. He called for her resignation, saying her meddling defied Cabinet Office Manual rules which say ministers must ensure that no conflict exists between public duty and private interests.

In a series of letters and e-mails dating back a year to Mr Robson, Corrections chief executive Mark Byers and Public Prisons chief Phil McCarthy, Mrs Turia called for a halt to an inmate's transfer, asked for prisoners to be moved closer to family and called for a review of an inmate's security rating.

Mr Ryall said MPs were entitled to raise concerns with Government departments about their constituents, but Mrs Turia should not have been involved with prisoners to this extent, especially ones with whom she had a relationship.

He condemned the Prime Minister's support for Mrs Turia's behaviour, saying the Government had plunged to a new low in terms of its own standards.

"This is clearly the minister having a close association with an inmate and acting in a way that is a breach of what one would expect," said Mr Ryall. "Everyone has boundaries and she overstepped them in a very big way."

Mrs Turia said last night that she had done nothing wrong.

"We're talking about integrating and rehabilitating prisoners. I am trying to see that policy is put into practice and I will continue to do so."

She rejected suggestions she had operated like a social worker.

"I'm behaving like a minister. It is what our people expect of me. When they raise complaints with me, I will take them up."

Mr Robson said last night that he was aware of the correspondence between Mrs Turia and the Corrections Department. "I have always instructed my department to treat any inquiry or request from a minister in the same way that they would treat an inquiry from a member of Parliament or the general public."

The first example given by Mr Ryall involved an inmate serving a 10-year sentence in Paremoremo's maximum-security wing.

He lived with Mrs Turia for a year when he was a child.

In a letter last year to Mr Byers, Mrs Turia indicated that he would be aware of her "relationship" with the inmate, referred to as "A".

She complained about A being refused a visit from his mother, requested he be transferred to Wanganui to be closer to family and questioned his maximum-security classification.

In response, Mr McCarthy replied that the authority to reduce ratings of prisoners serving 10 years or more rested with the national office.

Mrs Turia said she had declared her relationship with the prisoner in correspondence. "I have not behaved any differently for him than I have for anyone else."

Despite her "intervention", the prisoner had not been moved.

In another case, Mrs Turia instructed officials to stop the transfer of inmate "J", serving six years at Waikeria for manslaughter.

In an e-mail, the minister said she had an urgent call from J's whanau about his transfer at 9 am to Hawkes Bay Prison.

"I do not want J shifted until we have discussions with [deleted]," she said. "Please stop his transfer until [deleted] has spoken with me."

She later received a response from Corrections head office, saying that further to the "direction" from the minister, the inmate had been taken back to Waikeria.

In another case, Mrs Turia raised concerns with Mr Robson that "H", an inmate who had served eight years in Wanganui Prison, had not been allowed to go on an eight-day pilgrimage in the month before his release. Mr Robson replied that the prison manager had not received an application for a pilgrimage.

Mrs Turia also sent a letter to Mr Byers, attaching a report into H prepared for her by an unnamed person.

The report claimed the Parole Board was "hugely prejudicial".

It described H as a model inmate who had saved a prison officer's life during an attack.