New wearable cameras and stab-resistant body armour will be introduced for prison guards, the Corrections Minister announced today.

Two teenagers accused of the murder of a man in an Auckland motel have appeared in the High Court.

A Government inquiry into the escape of convicted murderer and paedophile Phillip John Smith has been extended.

Convicted double murderer Scott Watson has won a court battle which could allow him to meet a journalist behind bars and break his 17-year silence.

If we are to reduce reoffending, and thereby create fewer victims, crime must often be viewed not as the problem but as a symptom of a problem, writes Jarrod Gilbert.

After a full day hearing, a judge has reserved her decision as to whether convicted double murderer Scott Watson can meet a journalist.

Convicted double murderer Scott Watson says after 17 years of silence he now wants the opportunity to speak about his perceived miscarriage of justice.

Cells in all New Zealand jails may soon be fitted out with phones and computers in a bid to boost prisoners' educational levels.

Scott Watson will return to court this month to fight a move by Corrections to block a behind-bars meeting with an investigative journalist.

All frontline Corrections officers are to get new lightweight stab-resistant body armour, in a move that comes after the death of an inmate at Christchurch Men's Prison.

In the decision, Smith was described as a “manipulative, serious criminal with a high risk of reoffending”.

The Samoa-born and Mangere-raised MP Sam Lotu-Iiga has been thrown a $1.5 billion, 4000-staff portfolio as the new Corrections Minister.

Prison beatings happen in New Zealand almost daily and only "good luck" stands in the way of more deaths.

The bid by Phillip John Smith and his sister to have their case transferred to the High Court has been delayed until May.

A teenager accused of murder who is on the run after disconnecting his electronic monitoring anklet called Corrections soon after.

The woman accused of helping Phillip John Smith escape custody can now be revealed as his sister.

The stepfather of murderer and paedophile Phillip John Smith believes a woman accused of helping him flee authorities was conned.

A Brazilian woman who helped identify escaped murderer Phillip John Smith will visit New Zealand after a local man offered to pay for her holiday.

An Auckland Prison officer has been suspended as the Department of Corrections seeks answers on how convicted murderer and paedophile Phillip Smith fled the country.

A computer hacker has demonstrated how home detention bracelets can potentially be fooled into letting criminals roam free.

A male prisoner who's spent the past ten days in Wanganui Hospital managed to escape last night.

Murderer and child sex offender Phillip John Smith's claims that he was aided in his escape to Brazil by a prison guard have angered inmates.

Convicted murderer Phillip Smith's allegations that a Corrections officer helped him escape custody last month are unsubstantiated, the Corrections union says.

Should heads now roll in the upper echelons of the Department of Corrections in the wake of convicted murderer and child molester Phillip John Smith's absconding from temporary release from jail and getting all the to Brazil before being apprehended?

A prison tutor was justifiably dismissed from work after she sent an inmate a postcard while she was overseas.