April 13, 2022
Mental health focus for prison reform
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says prisons aren’t set up to cope with the mentally unwell.
Mr Davis is waiting on a report on the case of a young man who died in the mental health support unit at the Mt Eden remand prison after he was pepper sprayed.
He says he can’t comment on that case, but concern over high levels of mental illness in prisons is why the rebuild of Waikeria Prison includes a 100 bed mental health unit.
“Corrections is trying to do their best when people are in prison to support them to be better people when they emerge which is why that mental health facility at Waikeria is being built, which is why they have Māori pathways so there are supportive end to end arrangements for people from the time they enter prison to the time they leave in a kaupapa Māori based way,” Mr Davis says.
He says there has been more change in prisons over the past four years than in the 170 years prisons have existed in New Zealand.