Prison overcrowding figures dismissed

Figures supplied by a prison officers' union to show that overcrowded prisons have led to an increase in violent assaults, suicide attempts and inmate escapes have been dismissed by the Corrections Department as "selective and impossible to verify".

The Corrections Association yesterday said a comparison of incidents between March 1 and June 19 in 2002 and again in 2005 pointed to a "phenomenal" increase.

However, department chief executive Barry Matthews said national figures showed the number of inmate assaults and escapes had declined. There had been a slight increase in suicides.

- NZPA