Latest fromPrisons

Inmate stabbed at Spring Hill prison
A 29-year-old inmate is in a stable condition after a stabbing at Spring Hill Prison.

Clean slate hides 232 convictions
An Aucklander has concealed 232 convictions from potential employers under legislation that lets Kiwis hide their criminal history if they've had a clean record for seven years.

Poetic name slammed as 'potty'
A decision to name New Zealand's biggest new private prison a place to "move out of the mist" is being called "potty" by justice campaigners.

Art raises funds for restorative justice
Works by 12 prisoners are on show in Wanganui's Davis Central City Library this month, in an exhibition themed Aotearoa - Our Land, Our People.

Court bungle lets prisoner go
A Victorian prisoner mistakenly released from jail was free for six months before he was arrested and returned to custody.

Shopper finds desperate note in bag
'Help, help, help', started the note found by a shopper buying boots from a New York department store, from a man claiming to be held in a Chinese prison factory.

Free phones for crims in reform plan
Criminals are being given free mobile phones in a bid to stop them reoffending when they get out of jail, in a pilot scheme at the privately-run Mt Eden Correctional Facility in Auckland.

Fears over inmates' court food
Female inmates will be cooking food and serving staff at New Zealand's busiest court in a plan being worked on by justice and prison bosses.

Crime and punishment
As the Government shuts some of our publicly-run prisons, we investigate whether private prisons are the principled answer to justice.

Free after record stay on death row
A Japanese court has decided to release a man who was sentenced to death in 1980 in a high-profile murder case based on new DNA evidence.

Treasury focus on value for money
As the Crown's balance sheet approaches a quarter of a trillion dollars, managing those assets and the risks is becoming more important, says the Treasury.

600 workers build new prison
About 600 construction workers are on the 17ha site of New Zealand's biggest new prison and the country's largest public-private partnership, which is recruiting staff now.

'Gitmo' jail falling apart
The secret prison within a prison at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre that houses several alleged terrorists - is falling apart.

Anger at contact from jail
An ex-girlfriend of a jailed rapist is furious he was able to stalk her from prison, and also arrange for another prisoner to carry on the surveillance.

Less crime but more prisoners
New Zealand's prison population continues to grow despite record-low crime rates and an ambitious Government strategy to cut reoffending.

Paul Little: So many wrongs we need to put right
In the course of 2013, I encountered two memorable examples of things that are wrong, that need to be put right and probably won't be.

Just another day for detainees
Offenders who get locked up for Christmas can forget about a special meal from the cops on the big day.

Fruit limits imposed after jail riot
Prisoners will not be able to have more than three pieces of fruit a day in NZ jails, after a major riot was found to have been caused by inmates who were drunk on home-brewed alcohol.

Home brew sparked prison riot
Corrections is trying to prevent prisoners from stockpiling fruit after inmates were found to have made an alcoholic drink out of it before a major riot at Spring Hill Prison.

Christchurch housing 'worst it's been'
'It feels like there is no hope left out there.' There are concerns in Christchurch that the city's housing situation is more dire than ever, with families squatting in the red zone.

The life of an inmate
I pictured only cold stone walls, heavy steel doors, violent men, and indifferent guards.

Inside NZ's new generation prison
Inmates moving through the country's new $300 million prison will be able to track their path to freedom.

Maximum security wing to be rebuilt
Auckland Prison's maximum security wing is to be completely rebuilt under a Public Private Partnership (PPP).