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A Christchurch Mens' Prison officer, fired for giving bacon to an inmate and watching her own videos during her shift, says guards regularly bartered with inmates to keep the peace.
The 31-year-old woman, sacked after admitting misconduct in July, told The Press there was widespread abuse of the prison system.
She told the newspaper she brought in a packet of bacon for an inmate who was cooking a meal to celebrate his last night in lock-up .
Guards were only allowed to watch videos approved by the prison, which were supplied by a local video store. She had brought her own from home to watch during a nightshift.
The woman, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, said what she did was at the low end of the scale.
"They told me, 'this is what happens when you are on the floor. When there's two of us and 60 of them, do whatever to keep them happy'," she said.
"People who had been in the job for years were bringing in food - pork bones, bringing in videos, letting them have personal phone calls."
The prison officers' union and the Corrections Department rejected the claims.
- NZPA
