August 03, 2022
Prison roof sit “over-reaction”
A Corrections manager says the department will try to learn from the incident at the youth wing of Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison, where six rangatahi spent Monday night and half the next day.
Chief custodial officer Neil Beales says a review will look at whether there were any systems, procedural or human failings involved.
He says it appears the six went up on the roof after a disagreement over access to a sports area.
“What it looks like is an issue the boys reacted to probably in a way they shouldn’t have and they’ve overreacted to this and got themselves to a point where, you know what it is with young men, they feel they can’t back down or lose face,” Mr Beales says.
He says the prison team did a great job resolving the situation without injury to inmates or staff, and the six are now securely back in custody.