E2NZ.org

Continuing in our series of Migrants’ Tales  – first hand accounts of the migrant experience in New Zealand, taken from locations around the net.

Today’s tale was sent in by a former NZ corrections officer, it was left in a comment on our blog “The Death of Jason Palmer – Another Prison Officer’s Thoughts“. In it the ex-officer tells of his frustrations with the bureaucracy and manifest shortcomings of the NZ penal system:

I use to work for NZ Corrections and I left after one years service.
My former occupation was a prison officer in another country.

I was always at loggerheads with the bureaucracy and the over abundance of middle management.
No “hierarchy of force” in place for staff. All NZ has is grappling techniques and a script. No word of a lie.The last time I looked I was not a thespian.
What do you do when prisoners smear themselves in shit? They do not mention these types of scenario’s or prisoners with serious mental issues do they?

In NZ a strip search is a joke.The prisoner takes his upper torso(clothing) off first and puts it back on, followed by the bottom half.
This defeats the whole purpose of a strip search.Take all of your clothes off.
nice and simple.No quoting acts and regulations.
The prisoner is on remand or sentenced.They automatically fall under the state.

You see where I am going with this? Everything is complicated and not simplified.
They have paperwork for everything. The same information recorded on three to four forms and journals.How about one journal?

As long as you put your name onto something the department will always have a scapegoat.
I do not know if a prisoner is going to commit suicide or murder someone?
Each incident and situation is unique so it creates a lot of variables.

CANZ is a joke.All they do is whinge about private prisons but yet cannot remedy poor remuneration and the crapfest rosters that they implement.

The prison that I was trained in was of a para-military system whereas NZ is run by a civilian system.
Officers and prisoners talk on a first name basis.Officers track prisoners down on a name to face muster.
Para-military styled prisons order(not ask) prisoners to form up rank and file during musters.
They should come to me, not the other way around.

If you are in NZ Corrections you know what I am talking about.
I could go on forever.

Good luck for all officers that have to endure all the bullshit.If you are a new officer you will not know any different because New Zealand train you to be in the dark.

Cheers