Prison officers say overcrowding is endangering them

Prison officers concerned over what they say are dangerous levels of overcrowding in prisons are welcoming a decision by the Employment Relations Authority regarding the definition of prisoner numbers.

Yesterday the authority ruled in favour of the largest prison officers' union, the Corrections Association of New Zealand (CANZ), regarding the definition of an "inmate muster" level (the number of prisoners) within a prison.

Record numbers of prisoners have forced the Department of Corrections to accommodate inmates in police and court cells overnight and transfer them to prison facilities during the day.

However, these prisoners were not counted in the muster, as the department interpreted the muster level as "the number inside a prison at the time of evening lock-down".

However, the union, which has been attempting to negotiate a "muster allowance" to compensate corrections officers for the extra health and safety risks involved, argued that the muster level was the number of prisoners inside a prison at any time of the day or night.

The authority agreed with the union's definition.

CANZ president Beven Hanlon said the department needed to acknowledge "the deepening crisis" within New Zealand prisons.

He was pleased that following the authority's ruling, the department had agreed to discussions within two weeks after initially pulling out of talks.

The department had "reneged" on an earlier deal to conduct a salary review within a set time frame after members had agreed to take on the extra work, he said.

The unions' 2200 members had said that unless their health and safety issues were addressed, they were not prepared to take on the extra work any longer.

The overcrowding problem surfaced in the middle of last year.

By the end of the year the problem seemed to have eased.

However, a massive spike in May lead to prisoners being held in court and police cells for a total of 5629 bed nights, up from 921 in February.

In June, the department said 215 prisoners were still being held in court and police cells and the problem could get worse before it would improve with new construction in October.

Mr Hanlon said the department's contention that the maximum operating capacity should only apply at night was "ridiculous".

"They made us take them to court and they were never going to win that -- all they were doing was stalling for time hoping they would get through this latest muster crisis," he said.

"But we believe it's still going to be around next year."

He said the union had put forward a proposal that would free up more than the 180 beds the department has said it needs to solve the current crisis.

There were beds currently not being used in prisons because of inadequate staffing levels.

He said the union had come up with a solution involving some increased staffing levels and a change in regimes and lockdown times that would allow prisons to manage the crisis within the budget allocated by the department.

"But the department has said 'You'll do it our way, or no way'," he said.

"At the end of the day, this affects every prison officer in the country, not just in the eight or nine prisons running courts.

"Every prison in the country is chockablock."

Government funding of $125 million approved late last year resulted in the construction of 40 beds in April and a final 150 beds are to be completed in April 2006.

- NZPA