KEY POINTS:
The wife of a Mt Eden Prison guard who was attacked with boiling water is angry the inmate responsible has not been punished.
Susan Arvidson's husband Brian was taken to hospital with burns to his arm and has not returned to work since the attack a week ago.
She has been told the prisoner was isolated for only a short time and continues to be a part of the general prison population.
The prison's segregation area, known as "the pound", has been closed over the holiday season while staff take leave.
Mrs Arvidson said she had decided to speak out publicly against his employer, the Department of Corrections, because of concerns for the safety of other officers.
She told the Herald she spoke without Mr Arvidson's knowledge so his employment was not jeopardised.
"This inmate has just been allowed to get away with this. Why hasn't he been isolated so he doesn't have the opportunity to harm anyone else?
"What if Brian had been stabbed, what if he had the crap beaten out of him. Would they do nothing then?
"It is giving the other prisoners the message that they can get away with attacking officers. As the wife of a prison officer I worry every day he goes to work but now I know they don't care about safety."
Mrs Arvidson said the prisoner, whose identity she would not reveal, should be treated as a "health hazard".
She was angry Corrections had not rung her after the attack. Instead she found out through her own efforts that Mr Arvidson was in hospital. She said the department had not contacted them to check on his welfare either.
Mrs Arvidson said her husband had laid a police complaint but had not taken an internal disciplinary complaint because staff had no faith in the system.
The public and politicians needed to be aware of the "slack attitude" Corrections took to protecting its officers, she said.
A survey of prison officers late last year by the Corrections Association union found 71 per cent did not feel safe at work.
Association president Beven Hanlon said the attack on Mr Arvidson was a disgrace.
Mr Hanlon said the prisoner had a long history of threats against officers that management had failed to act on.
Mt Eden Prison manager Kelly Puohotaua said the prisoner was allowed to stay in his unit after a "comprehensive assessment" deemed he was not a threat.
Mr Puohotaua said although "the pound" was closed, it could have been opened if required.
