Spike in Corrections dismissals

More than 100 Corrections Department staff were sacked or suspended in the space of two years for illegal or inappropriate behaviour, new figures reveal.

Papers released to Radio Live under the Official Information Act show 111 staff members were stood down in 2008 and 2009, 49 of them indefinitely.

They included 13 stood down for having inappropriate relationships, 10 for not respecting the rights of prisoners, and six for possessing contraband.

Of the staff in trouble, more than half held senior positions. They included a principal corrections officer, a regional intelligence manager, supervisors, probation officers, and guards.

Rimutaka Prison, the country's largest jail, had the greatest number of stand-downs at 17, followed by Auckland Regional Women's Corrections Facility at eight, Mt Eden eight, and Paremoremo seven.

The number of dismissals was up significantly on previous years. In 2009, 32 people got the sack compared with 19 the previous year.

- NZPA