The Green Party is urging the Government to end the use of solitary confinement within our prisons after new research revealed some prisoners have been held in confinement for more than 900 days.

“Solitary confinement is a barbaric breach of human rights that breaks a prisoner’s spirit and decreases the chance of successful rehabilitation,” says the Green Party Corrections spokesperson Tamatha Paul.

“My proposed amendment to the Corrections Amendment Bill would remove this draconian form of punishment from our prisons, recognising that human rights apply to all.

“Solitary confinement can cause severe physiological and psychological pain, exacerbating the risk of self-harm and suicide for those exposed to it. For prisoners to be held in the Extreme Risk Unit for over 900 days of solitary confinement is a shameful breach of international human rights, especially considering the maximum is 15 days.

“The facility who kept prisoners in solitary confinement for this long was described as a ‘super-maxi’ unit. These are the kinds of human rights breaches and prison mismanagement we can expect to see if the Government succeeds in building their mega-prison at Waikeria. We need safeguards against excessive use of solitary confinement now.

“We are also deeply concerned about the use of solitary confinement for vulnerable people such as rangatahi, those experiencing mental distress and people with intellectual disabilities.

“Furthermore, solitary confinement disproportionately metes out the harshest form of punishment to Māori who are significantly over-represented in the prison population, failing the Crown’s obligations to honour te Tiriti, and to provide for equitable rehabilitation and reintegration.

“Twenty years ago the Mental Health Commission called for the ‘eventual eradication’ of solitary confinement in mental health facilities, recognising that it ‘poses significant risks to service users, including death, re-traumatisation, loss of dignity and other psychological harm’. The same pattern applies to the Corrections system.

“Instead of enabling sub-human conditions for people in prison, we must adequately resource the Corrections System to provide rehabilitation and help people re-integrate into their communities,” says Tamatha Paul.

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