February 28, 2022
Omicron prison amnesty not possible
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis is rejecting calls for low-risk inmates to be released to reduce the risk of them catching Covid.
The Howard League for Penal Reform say it’s inhumane for them to be locked up for 23 hours day after day, and it wants the Government to follow the example of Ireland and New South Wales which have some prisoners out early.
Mr Davis says Corrections has done a good job keeping Covid out of prisons for two years.
Now the virus is inside, the lock-up is necessary to keep prisoners safe – and he couldn’t release them even if he wanted to.
“Corrections has to look after the people in prison. Judges put people in there because they have committed crimes and it depends on the severity of the crime determines the length of the sentence. It is the parole board who releases people on parole. It’s the judges who determine when people’s sentences are ends. It’s is not Corrections’ role to do that,” Mr Davis says.
He says Corrections is doing a good job to keep inmates safe, with the worst affected prison being the privately run Auckland South Corrections Facility at Wiri.