Advocates prevented from visiting isolated prisoner following protests

No Pride in Prisons advocates claim that the Department of Corrections is deliberately trying to restrict the organisation’s access to a transgender woman in solitary confinement.

“Corrections is clearly so scared of having anything negative reported about what’s going on in New Zealand prisons that it’s willing to trample all over freedom of speech and prisoners’ rights to have visits,” says No Pride in Prisons spokesperson Emilie Rākete.

The organisation claims that Corrections has attempted multiple times to stop No Pride in Prisons advocates from visiting the woman.

“The Department of Corrections notified me on Wednesday that my weekly advocacy visit to Spring Hill had been declined for this week,” says No Pride in Prisons organiser Ti Lamusse.

This decision followed No Pride in Prisons’ nationwide protests on Tuesday against the Department of Corrections’ use of conditions it says are akin to solitary confinement.

Lamusse says the Department of Corrections’ rejection of their visit to the prisoner is political backlash for the protests. “Corrections cares more about whether it looks bad than it does about the safety and well-being of incarcerated people.”

“As her advocate, No Pride in Prisons and I have consistently been her sole means of support and communication with the outside. The Department of Corrections wants to shut off that communication.”

“On Tuesday we were demanding an end to her isolation, but instead Corrections has chosen to isolate her even further and shield itself from public scrutiny.”

Two more organisers with No Pride in Prisons have had their visitation rights compromised since the protests.

Emilie Rākete, the woman’s other advocate, was told when she arrived at Spring Hill for her visit on Thursday that she could not enter the site with ripped jeans.

Sophie Morgan, a No Pride in Prisons organiser who occupied a Corrections office in Hamilton with Lamusse on Tuesday, drove Rākete to the prison on Thursday. On arrival, Morgan was told that she was prohibited from being on site, including the car park and the 1 kilometre road leading to the prison.

“Corrections is throwing up obstacles everywhere it can to prevent this woman from getting support and advocacy,” Rākete claims.

Rākete says that she almost missed the visit as a result of the Department of Corrections’ actions.

“I’ve never been turned away from a visit for wearing ripped jeans before. This is clearly an effort on behalf of the Department of Corrections to prevent us from getting any more information out about how she’s being treated,” says Rākete.

“We had to drive all the way back to the end of the road, where I had to change clothes and run back up to the prison so I wouldn’t be late for the scheduled visit.”

No Pride in Prisons says that this is putting the woman in even more dire circumstances.

“She said that if she is not moved out of isolation soon, she will end up leaving in a body bag,” says Rākete.

“Isolation is a serious threat to the safety of this prisoner and all other prisoners. As a result of the Department of Corrections’ actions, she is being further isolated and prevented from communicating her mistreatment to people on the outside.”

“No Pride in Prisons is calling for people across Aotearoa to continue to put pressure on the Department of Corrections. We demand that the trans woman in Spring Hill’s isolation unit be transferred out of that unit immediately.”

ENDS

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